


It's LeviOsa, Not LeviosA

by Inkandquills, writersstudy



Series: Roleplay Fics [14]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Bullying, Coming of Age, Death Eaters, M/M, Plot Twists, Sexual Harassment, day6 and got7 are the professors, except yugy, we apologize profusely to everyone that we made into villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 131,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkandquills/pseuds/Inkandquills, https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersstudy/pseuds/writersstudy
Summary: Minho gets tired of Jisung's shit. And really, that's where it all starts.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Bae Joonyoung | Jacob, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Series: Roleplay Fics [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1256117
Comments: 30
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We swapped characters around so many times that it's not even worth listing who was who. 
> 
> We have decided to use Jacob Bae from The Boyz for this story and it's second installment. The plot nor any chapters are edited in any way other than to put his name in. Please let us know if we missed something!
> 
> And yes, we're aware that Hogwarts canonically starts its age groups on September 1, but it was easier for us to sort by year.  
> 7th: Chan (H) and Jacob (S)  
> 6th: Minho (S)  
> 5th: Changbin (R)  
> 4th: Hyunjin (H), Jisung (G), Felix (H), and Seungmin (H)  
> 3rd: Jeongin (S)

Chan hummed to himself as he walked the length of the train. Steam blew in his face as he headed toward one of the cars near the back. When he finally spotted Felix, his smile widened and he quickened his pace. Some people might have thought it weird that all of Chan’s friends were younger than him, but he didn’t mind it. “I’ve got to go check in with the Head Boy,” he said when he reached the other Australian, “but I’ll be able to come sit with you guys after.” Together, they loaded his trunk onto the carriage and moved it into the compartment Felix and Jisung had already claimed. 

The moment the door closed behind Chan, Jisung popped out of his seat and reached for his luggage. “Come on, help me move this stuff across the aisle and we can see how long it takes Chan hyung to find us when he comes back,” he said. He barely managed to get his suitcase out of the rack and onto the floor, nearly getting squished in the process. 

Chan walked down the train with purpose, pinning his Prefect badge to his chest as he went. When he made it to the Prefects' carriage, he wasn’t surprised to see Slytherin Jacob Bae already handing out orders, fancy Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest. He’d already known Jacob had made the position; they were neighbors and good friends, and Chan had been the first person he’d told. Once Chan had checked in with Jacob and received his walking orders, he made his way back to the carriage, rolling his eyes as he found Felix and Jisung giggling and peeking out of a compartment on the opposite side from where he’d left them.

Jisung ducked back into the compartment and dragged Felix with him when he saw Chan coming down the aisle. He quickly closed the door behind them, hoping the older boy didn’t see them. The hardest part was trying to keep quiet so they didn’t give themselves away. 

Chan made a show of stopping and turning to look at the previous compartment, hands on his hips. “I wonder where they could have possibly gone,” he said, loudly and very sarcastically, “did they fall off the train?”

Jisung fell quiet when Chan stopped outside of the compartment. He knew the older boy’s sarcastic voice better than anyone, which meant they had been caught. “I don’t think he fell for it,” he whispered sadly. If only he had an invisibility cloak. It would be so much easier to pull pranks like this. 

“I did not, in fact, fall for it,” Chan said as he turned toward his friends, an unimpressed look on his face. He entered the compartment, pulling the door closed, and sat opposite the two fourth years. They were both still in street clothes and, while Jisung looked grumpy at having been found out, Felix just looked happy to be there. 

“You better watch out after we get to Hogsmeade,” Jisung warned, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips. Ever since Chan had become Prefect he had become less and less receptive to his little pranks. It has been Jisung’s mission for the past two years to get the older boy to crack and he was even more determined than ever this year. 

“You know I have to shuffle first years,” Chan said with a sigh. He did miss being able to goof off with Jisung and Felix, but he took his duties as a Prefect seriously. “I’ll take points if you go too far, you know I will. Anyway, where are the other two?”

Jisung’s smile slipped off his face, but he perked up at the mention of his friends. “Not sure. I saw Hyunjin on the platform before I got on, but I haven’t seen Seungmin anywhere,” he said. It wasn’t like Seungmin to be late so he had to be on the train somewhere. 

“I have to patrol in a bit, so I’m sure I’ll find them,” Chan said with a shrug, “anyway, how were your summers? We didn’t get to talk much.”

Jisung immediately launched into an excited retelling of all of the trouble he had gotten into with his cousin. Poor Felix barely got a word in edgewise and Jisung only stopped talking when the compartment door slid open. “Sorry I’m late. There were a couple first years who were a little lost on the platform and then I couldn’t find you guys,” Seungmin said as he stepped inside and slid the door closed behind him. 

Chan smiled and patted the seat next to him, sliding over a bit so Seungmin could sit down. The younger boy was already in his robes and they matched nicely in their yellow and black. 

Seungmin barely had the chance to sit down before Jisung was rambling again. When Jisung _finally_ got to the end of his story, he focused his attention on Seungmin. “What did you get up to this summer?” he asked. “Nothing that exciting, but I did finish a couple books I’ve been wanting to read forever,” Seungmin replied. Jisung wrinkled his nose. 

Chan was able to listen to a bit of what Seungmin was saying before his watch went off and he stood to head off on a patrol. He stayed out a little longer than he was supposed to, trying to see if he could find Hyunjin. 

Seungmin did his best to dodge Jisung’s endless questions. Maybe one day he would bring some duct tape to put over the boy’s mouth and see how long it would take for him to figure out what to do with it. Jisung never paid that close attention in Muggle Studies anyway. Not letting himself dwell on it too long, he looked over at Felix. “Did you get the chance to go home to visit?” he asked.

“Yeah!” Felix said happily, “we went home for a whole month.” He and Chan were both transplants from Australia, although he had moved much more recently than the older boy. He still had family in Sydney; Chan didn’t and therefore hadn’t been back since he’d left. 

Seungmin smiled widely. “That's awesome! Tell me everything. How’s your family? What did you guys do?” he rambled. He had always wanted to go to Australia, but his family didn’t go on vacations anymore so he always loved hearing Felix’s stories of his trips home. 

As Felix rambled on about home, Chan travelled the length of the train with a frown. He hadn’t seen Hyunjin _anywhere_. Once he reached the Prefects carriage, he turned around and walked back, scanning much more closely. 

Seungmin soaked up every word Felix said like a sponge. Jisung had already heard the stories so he slid next to the window and watched the world go by as he waited for the Trolley. 

Chan found Hyunjin in a compartment wedged uncomfortably between older members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He slid the door open and rescued Hyunjin from their grasp. “He’s fourteen,” he said disapprovingly, glaring at the seventh-year captain, whose hand had been firmly on the young Hufflepuff’s thigh, and taking five points from everyone involved before leading Hyunjin back to the compartment their friends were in. The half-veela boy already looked miserable and Chan hated it. 

Jisung turned around when the door opened and was glad to see that Chan had found Hyunjin. “Whoa, are you okay?” he asked when he got a good look at his friend’s face. For Hyunjin to be that upset on the first day back was definitely not a good sign. 

“You should have a word with your teammates about harassing your friends,” Chan said with a frown. He sat back in his seat and wasn’t surprised when Hyunjin sat on top of him, looking for comfort. The oldest boy tossed Jisung a few coins. “Why don’t you go find the trolley and see if there’s any chocolate frogs left?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Jisung said quietly. He slipped the coins into his pocket and headed down the aisle of the train. He felt bad that his teammates were harassing Hyunjin, but last time he had said something it hadn’t end very well. The seventh years held a certain power over the team’s head that not a lot of people could do anything about. 

Chan knew that what he really needed to do was find a Gryffindor prefect that wasn’t also on the Quidditch team and get them to put a stop to it. Worst case scenario, he could bring it to Jacob, but he didn’t want to do that yet. Right now, he just needed to make Hyunjin feel better.

Jisung found the trolley witch quickly. He bought as many chocolate frogs as he could carry and quickly headed back to his friends. He shot a glare at the rest of his team when he passed their compartment, which he would definitely pay for later. 

Hyunjin perked up when he saw the pile of chocolate frogs in Jisung’s arms. They were his favorite snack and he always had a way of calming down the frogs that tried to escape before he could eat them. Hyunjin really had a sixth sense for animals and apparently that extended to those made out of chocolate as well. 

Jisung dumped the chocolate into Hyunjin’s lap. “I’m sorry they were being assholes again,” he said. As he took his seat again he wondered if his pranks would be better aimed at his team captains rather than Chan. 

“It’s fine,” Hyunjin said with a shrug as he opened one of the packages, “I know they won’t actually do anything. It’s just annoying. And they smell gross.”

Jisung scoffed. “That doesn’t even compare to the locker room by the end of the season. I’d rather get knocked off my broom then get locked in there for even an hour,” he said as he sat back down next to Felix. 

Hyunjin giggled as he read the card that came with the frog. “I got Dumbledore again,” he whined, tossing the card over to Felix, who collected as many as he could get. Hyunjin wanted to get every single kind of card, but Felix cared more about quantity. 

“There’s gotta be at least one card you don’t have in all those,” Jisung said. He watched Hyunjin closely, completely amazed that the chocolate frogs never tried to escape from him. Whenever he tried to eat one, he would spend most of his time chasing the frog around the compartment. 

“There’s a few that are really rare,” Hyunjin said, “Ron Weasley is actually pretty rare, surprisingly.”

“Huh, well who knows? Today might be your lucky day,” Jisung said, “what’s wrong, Seungminnie? You don’t want one?” He smirked when he saw Seungmin's hesitant expression. Even after all the years of eating snacks off the trolley, the poor boy still wasn’t used to chocolate frogs. 

“Here, Minnie, take this one,” Hyunjin said, holding out the chocolate frog resting happily in his palm. He was stroking its back leisurely, ignoring the melted chocolate coming off onto his finger. Seungmin took it hesitantly, but when it didn’t start to move, he happily bit off the head. 

“Wait, I want a calm one too,” Jisung whined, sticking his hand out. He should get at least one chocolate frog out of the deal, considering he had to go get them all. 

Hyunjin opened another one, barely glancing at the card before tossing it to Felix and picking up the actual frog. Once it was calm in his hand, he passed it to Jisung. The second his fingers left it, however, it went haywire. 

Jisung tried to grab onto the frog before it jumped out of his hands, but he wasn’t fast enough. He watched the frog jump into Felix’s lap before leaping towards the opposite wall. “Why is it only me?” he asked with a pout. He knew better than to try and catch the frog that was now climbing up the door, it would just jump away from him again. 

“You probably have too much energy,” Hyunjin said. He got up and rescued the frog from the wall before carefully handing it to Felix. “Feed Jisung so he stops whining,” he said. 

“Too much energy? That’s ridiculous,” Jisung said. He eyed the chocolate frog in Felix’s hand suspiciously, but took a bite anyway. 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes as he sat on top of Chan again. “Seungmin and Felix are nice and calm and the frogs are fine for them,” he pointed out. 

“It’s not my fault I’m not scared of them,” Jisung said through a mouthful of chocolate. He took another bite and sat back with his arms crossed. 

“Hey, I’m not scared of it,” Felix said with a pout, pulling the rest of the chocolate away from Jisung and eating it himself, “I think they’re cute!”

“Cute?” Jisung asked with a raised eyebrow, “they exist purely to cause me suffering and you think they’re cute?”

“They’re frogs!” Felix said, a little offended, “Jinnie, can I have another one?” Hyunjin rolled his eyes fondly but helped Felix unwrap another one. “Look at it!” the younger boy squealed, shoving the poor thing in Jisung’s face. “Maybe they just don’t like Gryffindors,” Seungmin suggested. 

Jisung gasped loudly. “Jeez, what is this, gang up on Jisung day? Chan hyung, help me out here,” he begged, looking up at the older boy, “I have plenty of friends that don’t have nearly this much trouble with the stupid things.”

Chan shrugged, wrapping his arms around Hyunjin’s middle and peeking around the boy’s shoulder. “Jinnie knows more about them than I do,” he said. 

Jisung huffed. “I’m gonna go put my robes on,” he grumbled, “coming, Lix?” He stood up and rummaged through his luggage to find his already slightly wrinkled robes. 

Felix finished eating his frog and hopped up with a smile to retrieve his robes. “Wanna come, Jinnie?” he asked. 

Hyunjin didn’t look at all ready to leave Chan’s lap, which was understandable. That left Jisung and Felix to navigate the train on their own. Without realizing it, he slammed into someone who wasn’t keeping to their side of the aisle. “Hey, watch where you’re walking,” he snapped. He immediately recognized the boy when he got a good look at his face. The third-year Slytherin wasn’t nearly as scrawny as he was the past year. 

“You watch it,” Jeongin sneered, shouldering Jisung out of his way and stalking down the train until he found the compartment his friends were packed into. “Stupid Gryffindors,” he grumbled as he flopped into a seat.

“What happened, Innie?” Minho asked when the younger boy came back. He closed his book and set it to the side. Jeongin always seemed to have run-ins with entitled Gryffindors and Minho was not having it this year. 

“Stupid Han Jisung,” Jeongin grumbled, crossing his arms with a pout, “he slammed into me in the corridor. Him and stupid Felix Lee.”

“Those boys again? They act like they own Hogwarts and everything that goes with it. I’m gonna have a little chat with their prefects before dinner and I’ll make sure they don’t bother you anymore,” Minho promised. He reached over and rubbed Jeongin’s shoulder soothingly.

“Stupid,” Jeongin grumbled again. Out in the hallway, Felix rolled his eyes as he watched Jeongin stomp away. “What’s his problem?” he asked. 

“He’s just a spoiled brat who’s used to having everything his way. Some people just don’t grow up, Lix,” Jisung said, “come on though, we don’t have much time ‘til we get there.” 

Felix just sighed and followed Jisung back to the compartment, fixing his tie as he went. It ended up in a dreadful knot, one that he asked Chan to fix once they were back. 

“That’s what you get for eating my chocolate frog,” Jisung said. The train slowly rolled to a stop and he busied himself getting all of their luggage down. 

Felix made a face at Jisung’s back, smiling brightly as the other boy turned and handed him his luggage. The corridors were already crowded and Chan was already gone onto the platform, shepherding first years left and right. Well, mostly left, toward the end of the platform.

“Come on boys. The only thing standing between us and dinner is a carriage ride and a speech,” Jisung said. With that, he muscled his way into the aisle. 

Hyunjin latched on to Seungmin, the two taller boys leading the way through the crowd and out to the carriages. There were only a few left and it was with dread they realized that they’d probably be stuck sharing with Slytherins. 

Jisung groaned when he realized they were almost the last people off the train. “Come on let’s grab a carriage fast and hope the Slytherins find some other ride up,” he said. 

While the other three were talking, Seungmin’s eyes strayed to the small Slytherin boy off in the grass, petting and talking quietly to one of the skeletal steeds pulling the carriages. He hadn’t known Jeongin could see them too. 

“Minnie, come on,” Jisung called. He sat down next to Felix again and sprawled out across the bench to take up as much room as possible. 

Jeongin felt eyes on him and looked up to find one of the Hufflepuffs staring at him from the road. “What are you looking at?” he snarled. The boy flushed and hurried to climb inside the carriage. 

“I admire you for trying to befriend a Slytherin but that’s not the one. He’s nasty and definitely not worth your time,” Jisung said to Seungmin. The poor boy was really too nice for his own good. 

“He didn’t seem nasty,” Seungmin said as he took a seat next to Hyunjin, “he just seemed defensive.”

Jisung had to laugh at that. “He doesn’t want anyone to know his aunts and uncles are Death Eaters, but the whole school already knows. He’s just rude to everyone he comes across,” he explained. 

“Oh,” Seungmin said softly. He flinched when the carriage door opened and the two Slytherins and one Ravenclaw that were outside climbed in. Once the door closed, the carriage started moving. Seungmin pressed closer to Hyunjin, trying to give the Slytherins their space.

Jisung scowled at the Slytherins. He slipped his hands into his pocket and grabbed his wand just in case they tried anything. 

“Cut it out,” Changbin hissed at Minho, who was glaring at the poor Hufflepuff who’d been watching Jeongin outside, “you’re scaring the poor kid.”

“Don’t you have something better you could be doing than glaring at my friend?” Jisung snapped. He had the unfortunate luck to have to play across from Lee Minho during Quidditch and had developed quite the dislike of the sixth year. 

“Jisung,” Hyunjin groaned, kicking his friend from across the carriage, “I don’t want to deal with a fight right now, please.”

“Don’t worry, you know I wouldn’t start something unless it was important,” Jisung said. He watched Minho closely for the entirety of the ride to the castle, barely paying attention to the small boy next to him. 

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause you’re _so_ important,” Jeongin bitched, rolling his eyes. “Newsflash, kitty cat, not everything’s about you.”

Jisung’s hand tightened around his wand and he sat up. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about my friends that you’re a dick to for no reason,” he said calmly. 

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “Why?” he asked, tipping his chin up, “I haven’t done anything to them at all.”

Jisung raised an eyebrow. “Right, I forgot snapping at someone isn’t rude to you people,” he said. 

“Your hand wouldn’t be on your wand if this was about me snapping at your friend,” Jeongin said quietly, “which one of us is really being the dick here, Han Jisung?”

Jisung glared at the younger boy. “I haven’t done anything to you or your friends. Maybe yo-” “Alright, that’s enough pointless bickering,” Minho finally snapped, “I’m already not particularly fond of being here and listening to you is making this insufferable.”

Jisung was about to say something else, but Felix shot him a look and shook his head. It wasn’t worth it. They were practically at the castle already anyway.

Jisung sat back with a sigh. The tension between the houses was supposed to have dissolved years ago, but every time he turned around there was a Slytherin at his throat. 

The carriage shook to a stop and the door swung open. Immediately, the two Slytherins and their Ravenclaw friend were out and headed up to the castle. The rest of them took their time to disembark and head up. Seungmin let his hand skim along the side of the thestral as they passed, silently thanking it for the journey. 

“I can’t believe they had the audacity to get into our carriage and still be pains in the asses,” Jisung grumbled to Felix, “I’ll just have to get my revenge out on the pitch.”

“You don’t own the carriage,” Felix reminded him, “and it was the only one left. You know they’ll get in trouble if they walk.”

“Maybe they deserve to get in trouble,” Jisung said breezily. He let the conversation drop, much too hungry to focus on anything except the dinner that was waiting for them. 

Felix rolled his eyes and left Jisung to his own devices when they reached the Hufflepuff table. The three of them sat down, smiling at Chan down the table with the other Prefects, and settled to wait for the Sorting. 

Jisung went to sit with his team, excited to hear about how they spent their summers. Seungmin stuck to Hyunjin’s side all the way to their table and even when they sat down. “Why does Jisung always have to get bothered so easily?” he asked. 

Hyunjin shrugged. “Maybe it’s just a Gryffindor thing,” he said, “they’re always looking to fight someone.” He knew that all too well. 

“He’s gonna get himself hurt,” Seungmin said sadly. He looked up just as the Sorting Hat yelled “Hufflepuff” and watched one of the boys he had helped onto the train that morning make his way over to their table. 

“If he does, it’ll be because he’s being stupid,” Felix said, “I don’t know why he picks fights with the Slytherins all the time. They’re not that bad.”

Seungmin nodded in agreement. “And he’s not gonna listen to us if we tell him to stop. I really wish he wasn’t so thickheaded,” he said. 

“He’ll get there eventually,” Hyunjin said hopefully. At least, he hoped his friend would become less hotheaded. It would save them all a headache. 

“I hope so,” Seungmin said quietly, “maybe his prefect will knock some sense into him.” A glance toward the front of the Great Hall told him that they were nearly at the end of the new first years. 

“Fingers crossed,” Hyunjin muttered as the food finally appeared in front of him, “I gotta say, I do feel kinda bad for that kid though. Or I would, if he wasn’t a jerk all the time.”

“Jeongin?” Seungmin asked, immediately beginning to fill his plate, “I don’t think he wants to be mean. I think he’s just defending himself.”

“He gets so much flack for stuff he didn’t even do,” Hyunjin said, speaking with his mouth full, “if he was a nice person, I’d help him out, but he’s so mean.”

“If you kept getting blamed for things that aren’t your fault, wouldn’t you become cynical too?” Seungmin asked quietly, “but he does have a couple of friends so he can’t be that mean to everyone.”

“They’re Slytherins, that means nothing,” Hyunjin said, shaking his head, “and one of them is the Head Auror’s son, so he doesn’t count either.”

Seungmin hummed and snuck a glance over at the Slytherin table. “I just think there’s something more than him being a mean kid,” he said. He focused on his food instead, just realizing how hungry he actually was. 

“Look, we just wanna keep you safe,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, “even if Jeongin’s never done anything, he was raised with those...values, if you can call them that. We have no idea what beliefs he actually holds and I just don’t want to see you get hurt if they’re the wrong ones.”

“Thanks, Jinnie. Although I doubt Jisung would let me within ten feet of him even if I wanted to,” Seungmin said with a small smile. 

It wasn’t much longer before the feast disappeared. The Headmaster said a few more words before dismissing everyone to bed. The three Hufflepuffs stuck together as they descended to the basement among a gaggle of Slytherins. The Slytherins kept going though, down to the dungeons under the lake, while the Hufflepuffs stopped near the kitchens. 

Seungmin made a beeline for his room, not bothering to say hi to anyone yet. He wanted to get all of his things organized first and foremost before he inevitably got dragged into a game of wizard chess. 

Felix and Hyunjin followed Seungmin to the fourth years’ room, also prepared to unpack their stuff and head to bed. The three of them were almost unpacked when the door opened and Chan came in, flopping on Felix’s bed with a groan. 

“Hi, hyung, how are all the first years?” Seungmin asked. He climbed onto his own bed and sat crossed legged on the edge. 

“Eleven,” Chan grumbled, “they’re all just so...eleven.” He didn’t know how else to accurately describe his current headache. 

Seungmin chuckled quietly. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually. And it can’t be any worse than last year’s first-years,” he said. They had a jokester to rival Jisung last year and poor Chan had his hands full. 

Chan groaned and dropped his face into a pillow before picking it up and staring at Hyunjin. “Why did Jacob tell me you guys fought with his kids?”

Seungmin dropped his eyes and played with his shoelaces. “We didn’t fight. Jisung and Jeongin were just arguing for most of the ride,” he explained.

Chan rolled his eyes and dropped his head into the pillow again. He loved his kids, he did, but they were so frustrating sometimes. 

“Don’t take points away from them though,” Seungmin begged, “Jisung’s just gonna take it out on Jeongin and everything’s gonna get worse.”

“I would never do that,” Chan said, “not unless I see it. Can’t prove your three aren’t lying to me, even though I know you wouldn’t.”

Seungmin sighed. He uncrossed his legs and hopped off his bed. After rummaging through his drawer for a moment he found what he was looking for. “I’m going to read in the common room for a little while,” he said. 

The week of classes started easily enough. Jisung didn’t get in any more fights, thankfully, which made everyone’s lives easier. On Friday, Jeongin found himself summoned to the groundskeeper’s hut to assist in feeding the thestrals and was surprised to see the red haired Hufflepuff there as well.

Seungmin turned around when the door opened and came face to face with Jeongin. It made sense considering the other boy could see the thestrals too, but he was still surprised. He nodded a polite greeting, still apprehensive of the younger boy.

Jeongin felt a little bad now. It was clear now that the other boy hadn’t thought he was weird for petting empty air. He had simply been surprised to find someone else who could see the thestrals. The boy must have been a Muggleborn then. Everyone else knew Jeongin’s history. 

“Ah, Jeongin, there you are!” Jackson greeted cheerily, “I was just explaining to Seungmin what to do, but you remember from last year, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Jeongin said, grabbing one of the buckets of raw meat off the ground and pulling out his wand with the other hand. It was going to be dark soon.

“Perfect, let’s get going then,” Jackson said with a clap of his hand, “we don’t want to start too late and have cranky thestrals on our hands. Seungmin, you can grab that bucket there.” Seungmin grabbed the bucket Jackson pointed at and followed his professor from the hut and into the Forbidden Forest. 

Once they got deep enough into the forest, Jeongin lit his wand, holding it aloft so the path was lit for both him and Seungmin. 

Seungmin followed closely behind Jeongin. He already wasn’t particularly fond of the dark, on top of the horror stories he had heard from Jisung about the creatures that lived in the forest. He didn’t realize just how close he had gotten to Jeongin until he accidentally stepped on the back of the younger boy’s shoe. Seungmin squeaked out an apology and took a few steps back. 

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing out here,” he said quietly, “most of the other creatures avoid the thestrals. At the most, we’ll run into some centaurs, but they won’t hurt us as long as we’re with Jackson.”

Seungmin let out a shaky breath. “Oh, okay,” he whispered. After another minute of walking, they reached a large clearing. Seungmin gasped quietly when he stepped out from behind Jeongin. 

Jeongin headed toward one side of the clearing, setting the bucket down and holding his wand up. He pulled a chunk of meat out of the bucket and held it out to the nearest thestral, clicking his tongue softly. 

Seungmin watched Jeongin closely. The younger boy was so gentle with the animals, especially the babies. Seungmin was distracted when he felt the bucket get heavier. He turned around and came face to face with a thestral who had taken it upon itself to eat straight out of his bucket. He dropped the bucket out of surprise and watched some of the meat spill onto the ground. 

“Careful, you’ll scare them,” Jeongin admonished, barely paying attention to the baby thestral sucking the blood off his fingers.

“I’ll scare _them?”_ Seungmin asked. Just then Jackson walked over and gently backed the thestral up from the bucket. “Come try it again, Seungmin,” he said, beckoning the boy over. Seungmin hesitantly took the bucket back and took out a new piece of meat. “You can toss it to ‘em if you don’t wanna feed them out of your hand,” Jackson said. “No, I’m okay. They just caught me off guard,” Seungmin said. He wanted to prove to himself, and Jeongin, that he wasn’t afraid. 

“Thestrals are really very gentle,” Jeongin said, “and fairly skittish as well. People are just scared of them because they associate them with death. They’re really not scary at all.”

Seungmin held his hand out and stood rooted to his spot as the thestral walked back over to him. He felt so small standing next to the grotesquely elegant creature, and was amazed by how gently it took the piece of meat out of his hands. Soon he had a small number of thestrals standing in front of him, waiting for their own share of meat. “They are really gentle,” he agreed after a minute. 

Jeongin finished feeding the few thestrals in front of him and continued petting one of the babies as the others went over to try and get some more food from Seungmin.

Seungmin turned around to find some of the thestrals that didn’t eat yet, but he didn’t have to go far. A few more had come up behind him and he was completely surrounded. “Uh, Jeongin…” he began uncertainly. 

“You’re fine,” Jeongin said, “just push through them. Move slow, they can’t see.”

Seungmin fed the thestrals the rest of the meat in his bucket and carefully slipped between two of them. He let out the breath he was holding when he was out of the middle of the circle and standing next to Jeongin. 

“See? They’re fine,” Jeongin said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He yanked Seungmin’s hands up and pulled a rag out of his pocket, roughly wiping the blood off his hands.

“Thank you,” Seungmin said quietly. He picked his head up and looked at Jeongin. The boy didn’t have his usual scowl on and almost seemed content. Seungmin was pulled from his thoughts when Jackson walked back over to them. “Thanks for the help, boys. Let’s head back so you two can get to the castle before curfew,” he said. 

Jeongin led the way again, silently lighting the path for Seungmin as well. Once they left the buckets at Jackson’s hut, they headed up to the castle in silence. 

“Hey, uh, Jeongin? Could I ask you a huge favor?” Seungmin began hesitantly, “do you think...do you think maybe you could, uh, not say anything about me helping today?” He twisted his fingers together, hoping the younger boy would agree. 

“Don’t want your little buddies to know you had to talk to me?” Jeongin sneered, “don’t wanna ruin their terrible impressions of me?”

“No, no, that’s not it at all,” Seungmin said quickly. He took a deep breath before continuing, “they just don’t know I can see them and I really don’t want them to find out.”

“It isn’t something to be embarrassed about,” Jeongin said after a minute of silence, “the faster you let people know about it, the faster they’ll forget.”

“My friends don’t forget anything. And I’m not embarrassed about it, I just don’t want them to know. Please, Jeongin, I’ll never ask you for anything ever again. Just please don’t say anything,” Seungmin begged. 

“I won’t, I won’t,” Jeongin said, rolling his eyes as they finally reached the castle. He had no reason to ever talk to or about Kim Seungmin again.

Seungmin heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, and, um, thanks for your help,” he said. 

“Don’t mention it,” Jeongin mumbled. They descended the stairs together, but Jeongin kept going when they reached the basement level. 

Seungmin paused outside the door to the Hufflepuff common room and watched Jeongin continue down the stairs. When the boy was out of sight, he turned back around and stepped inside. He hoped his friends were already asleep, but that was a lot to ask for. 

“Where the heck have you been?” Felix asked when Seungmin entered the room, looking extremely suspicious. He and Hyunjin had been playing Exploding Snap on his bed and they all flinched when a card exploded. 

“I was just walking around the castle grounds,” Seungmin said. It wasn’t entirely a lie, and it was something he was known to do from time to time. He kicked his shoes somewhere under his bed and laid down, not even bothering to grab his book. 

Hyunjin looked at him with narrowed eyes but turned away with a shrug. “All the things you could do on a Friday night and went to be a nerd,” he teased, “you can just tell us you were in the library, Minnie.”

Seungmin huffed. “I _was_ walking around,” he said quietly, “but have you guys really been sitting here the whole time?”

“Since dinner, yeah,” Felix said, “Jisung was here too but Chan kicked him out like an hour ago.”

Seungmin chuckled quietly. Jisung really could only be handled in small doses, but since Quidditch practice started he had been a lot quieter. 

Hyunjin and Felix kept playing cards until the younger of the two nearly burnt his eyebrows off by falling asleep into his pile of cards. At that point, Hyunjin practically forced him into bed and Felix was out like a light. 

“You’d think he’d remember after what happened last year that he shouldn’t play Exploding Snap when he’s tired,” Seungmin said with a giggle. He shifted up the bed so he could wrap himself around a pillow. 

“Lixie’s the stereotypical Hufflepuff,” Hyunjin said fondly, “he’s super friendly and smart as hell, but he’s also dumb as a rock.”

Seungmin chuckled and shook his head. “You can’t win ‘em all,” he said through a yawn. 

“He’s cute, it all works out,” Hyunjin said as he climbed into his own bed after putting the cards away. He extinguished his wand and bid Seungmin goodnight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trans women are women and they are not a threat to anyone.
> 
> (TW in this chapter for fighting and a deliberate attempt to seriously maim/kill someone.)

One afternoon, Jisung was sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the peace and quiet before he had to go to practice. Seungmin sat next to him, reading his book and not paying much attention to the students that walked by. 

Jeongin was sitting cross legged on a bench in the courtyard, taking advantage of the sunshine to do his Muggle Studies homework. He was absolutely fascinated by the class and he wondered briefly if Seungmin would ever mind him asking questions during their Friday night walks. He probably would, given Jeongin’s family history.

Jisung looked up and saw Seungmin staring across the courtyard. He followed his friend’s gaze and scowled when he saw Jeongin. “What’s wrong, Minnie? Is he giving you problems again?” he asked. 

Jeongin felt eyes on him and looked up to see Han Jisung glaring at him from across the courtyard. “What?” he asked blankly. What could he have possibly done this time?

“I’ve just never seen you doing homework before. Usually if you’re out of the dungeon, you’re causing problems,” Jisung said. Seungmin closed his book and pulled on Jisung’s sleeve. “Please don’t do this,” he begged. 

Jeongin sighed heavily. “I’m not in the mood to fight with you, Han,” he said tiredly. 

Jisung raised his eyebrows. “Oh really? Why the sudden change of heart? Pretending to be a good student because there’s people around?” he snarked. 

Jeongin closed his eyes for a moment before resolutely turning himself away from the pair. Jisung might have wanted a fight, but he certainly didn’t. 

Seungmin tightened his grip on Jisung’s arm. “Please stop. You’re gonna make everything worse,” he said. Jisung yanked his arm out of Seungmin grip. “It’s not my fault he’s a coward. Just like the rest of his family,” he spat. 

Jeongin stiffened before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to relax. Jisung didn’t know _shit_ about his family. He didn’t. 

“He’s a purist. They all are,” Jisung continued, “they’re all snakes who will act nice to your face and stab you in the back the minute you turn around. I keep telling you, Minnie, you gotta be careful.”

Jeongin inhaled sharply and slammed his book closed. He shouldered past Jisung angrily, not even looking at the Gryffindor boy. It wasn’t until he made it back to the Slytherin common room and ran into Minho that he realized he was crying. 

Minho grabbed Jeongin by the shoulders, stopping the teary eyed boy from passing him. “Innie, what happened?” he asked concernedly. He had a sneaking suspicion as to who caused this and his blood was already beginning to boil. 

“It doesn’t matter. Just stupid people being stupid,” Jeongin said, wiping his face angrily. He _hated_ crying. It wasn’t like Jisung’s comment was anything out of the ordinary, and he certainly didn’t care about the Gryffindor’s opinion of him. Jeongin truly didn’t know why he was so upset. 

“No, Jeongin, this does matter. I’m not gonna have you keep running in here upset because of something that happened. I want to put an end to this but I can’t if you don’t talk to me,” Minho said gently but firmly. 

“You know all the bullshit people say about me,” Jeongin said bitterly, “and you know there’s nothing that’ll make them stop. I’m just really tired today so it got to me more than usual.” He was lying through his teeth now, not wanting to seem weak in front of his favorite hyung. 

Minho sighed. “After two years of knowing you, I can tell when you’re lying. I can stop this and I will. You’re not going to spend the rest of your years at Hogwarts miserable because of some nasty people who have a lot to say about things they don’t know,” he said. 

“Another Slytherin telling them they’re wrong isn’t trustworthy to them, especially stupid Gryffindors,” Jeongin mumbled sadly, “it’s only four more years and probably the rest of my life after that. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not going to be here for four years and I’m not leaving without doing something about this,” Minho said, “let me guess. This Gryffindor is Han Jisung? The one that’s been giving you the most problems since your first year?”

Jeongin bit his lip. Minho was too good. He should really start practicing Occlumency, just in case. “Yeah,” he finally said, “but he’s really no one.”

“He’s going to be no one when I’m through with him,” Minho muttered, “Jacob hyung is in his room. Go lay down with him and I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Hyung, don’t do anything dumb, please?” Jeongin begged, “it’s really no big deal. I don’t even notice it anymore!”

“Jeongin, you just rushed in here in tears. This obviously still bothers you and I’m not going to let this continue,” Minho said. He pulled Jeongin against himself briefly. “I’m gonna take care of this and if I can’t, Jacob hyung will.”

“No!” Jeongin said, pushing away from Minho, “please don’t tell Jacob. I don’t want him to know.”

“Alright, I won’t tell Jacob hyung on the condition that you stop lying to me. I need to know everything that happens. Do we have a deal?” Minho asked.

“Fine,” Jeongin muttered petulantly. After two years of being in Slytherin House, he still wasn’t entirely convinced. He knew loyalty was big among the House and that they were unfailingly loyal to each other, but he doubted that that included him. His reputation had more than preceded him, a reputation that Slytherin House had been trying to separate themselves from for twenty years.

“Wonderful. Now go find Jacobie hyung until I get back. He has some sugar quills in his nightstand that I’m sure he wouldn’t mind sharing if you ask nicely,” Minho said. With that he left the common room and headed to speak with a certain Hufflepuff. He knew he would get nowhere with the Gryffindor prefects and the Hufflepuff dormitory was a much shorter walk. 

Seungmin seemed troubled when he returned from his study session with Jisung, but Chan didn’t ask. He knew the boy was terribly private and probably wouldn’t tell him anything anyway. He didn’t even give it a second thought until one of the second years informed him that there was a very irate Slytherin waiting for him outside the common room.

Minho had his arms crossed long before Chan appeared in the doorway. “I didn’t expect to have to take this this far, but I am absolutely appalled by how poorly you are handling your job as a prefect. I have had Jeongin come to me, extremely upset, on multiple occasions because Han Jisung thinks it’s acceptable to run his mouth. I will not let this continue and if you will not do anything to hold this boy accountable for his actions then I’ll have to take matters into my own hands,” he said angrily. 

“Try as he might, Jisung isn’t a Hufflepuff and there’s nothing I can do about him except take points, which I can’t do unless I see something happen,” Chan explained wearily, “any prefect will tell you that, including your own. I suggest you stop threatening school officers and other students before I have to dock points from you as well.” 

“The Gryffindor prefects won’t listen to me let alone do anything about this. He spends most of his time with you so I find it hard to believe that the only thing you can do is take points. You obviously know this is a problem, yet you continue to ignore it because it doesn’t affect any of your kids,” Minho said. He wasn’t worried about Chan taking points away from him, he could get them back from Jacob just as easily. 

“As a _prefect_ ,” Chan stressed, “it’s out of my hands. As a friend to Jisung, he’s even less likely to listen to me. I’m not his parent. If you think he’s bullying Jeongin, then take it to Jacob or the Gryffindor prefects. The perpetrator isn’t my house, the victim isn’t my house, my hands are tied unless I see it. I’m sorry, Minho.”

“I should have known well beforehand that you would be useless to me,” Minho sneered, “if none of the prefects are willing to put an end to Han Jisung’s tirade, I will. And that’s not a threat, that’s a promise.” He spun on his heels and stalked out of the dungeons, he had some people to talk to. 

Chan rolled his eyes. He did feel bad for Jeongin, but there wasn’t anything he could do if he didn’t witness what happened. At best, he could tell Jisung to leave Jeongin alone, but he knew he would never listen.

Minho’s talk with the Gryffindor prefects went almost as poorly as his talk with Chan. He did however make it clear that he would take matters into his own hands should nothing get done. And he was planning to at their next Quidditch match. 

Seungmin was much more confident feeding the thestrals now than he was when he started. Even with that confidence, Jackson still accompanied him and Jeongin into the Forbidden Forest, just in case the boys ran into any unwanted creatures. 

When Friday came, Jeongin knew he looked exhausted and he was glad for the cover of darkness. He didn’t want Seungmin to know that he hadn’t been sleeping since the argument with Jisung. Then again, he didn’t know why he cared so much.

Seungmin knew he had to apologize to Jeongin. It probably wouldn’t help much, but he had felt guilty for what Jisung had said in the courtyard all week. He waited until Jackson was at the other end of the clearing before he walked up to the younger boy. “Hey, um, I just wanted to apologize for what Jisung said in the courtyard last week. He doesn’t think before he talks and I know everything he says to you is horrible and not even true. I’m really sorry he’s like that and I wish he would stop too,” he said sincerely. 

“I don’t want an apology,” Jeongin said, more gruffly than he intended. “From you,” he amended, “I don’t want an apology from you. I know it’s not your fault.”

Seungmin turned his head down. “I’m sorry I can’t do more,” he said quietly, before turning away to play with one of the babies before they had to go back to the castle. 

“There’s nothing to be done,” Jeongin said, “but thank you for worrying.” The only person that ever really worried about him was Jacob, so it was nice to have someone else. He might even call Seungmin a friend at this point.

Seungmin sighed sadly. “I promise not everyone thinks like Jisung,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. He really couldn’t understand how Jisung had such an unfounded hatred for the third year. Jeongin was a sweet kid who didn’t seem like he could hurt a fly. 

“They do,” Jeongin said with a snort, “but I know you don’t, so. Thanks.” He felt awkward now. Jeongin wasn’t good at being sentimental. 

Seungmin just nodded, not even sure if Jeongin saw him. He thought his apology would be helpful to the younger boy but it looked like he had been a little too hopeful. 

They didn’t stay much later before they were heading back up to the castle. Jeongin felt like he needed to say something, but he didn’t know what. When they reached the Hufflepuff common room, he quietly wished Seungmin good night and headed further downstairs. 

Seungmin watched Jeongin until he was out of sight before stepping into his own common room. He was more tired than usual and hoped the boys didn’t bother him so he could get right to bed.

Chan had tried to talk to Jisung, he really had, but the younger boy had just rolled his eyes and ignored him. By the time the first Quidditch match of the year, between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, had rolled around, he had almost forgotten. Jisung and Hyunjin were both Chasers on their respective teams, so the whole group went to watch nearly every game. 

After one last pep talk for his team, Minho grabbed his bat, mounted his broom, and pushed off from the ground. He flew a loop behind the rings, nodding to his Keeper, before coming to a stop just off to the side. Not a moment later, the Quaffle was released and Quidditch season had officially begun. 

Chan tried to watch the entire game, he really did, but there was just too much movement. Instead, he focused on Hyunjin, cheering when the tall boy hit the Bludger toward a player in green. He was so focused on Hyunjin, in fact, that he barely noticed the Bludger flying toward the stands in time to throw himself in front of Jisung, towards whom it was aimed. 

Minho scowled when Chan threw himself in front of the Bludger he had hit specifically in Han Jisung’s direction. He had wanted to send a message to the boy that Slytherins were not to be messed with, but of course the prefect had to ruin it.

Chan cried out as the Bludger hit his arm and he felt the bones fracture. Faintly, he heard a whistle and some yelling, but he couldn’t focus on it through the pain. 

The moment Minho landed, he saw the Hufflepuff captain stalking across the pitch towards him. This wasn’t an argument he was looking forward to, especially because his wand was in the locker room. He barely noticed the ruckus in the stands over the captain’s yelling. 

Before either the Slytherin captain or the referee were able to reach Minho, Hyunjin had landed, thrown his broom away, and punched him square in the face. Other members of the two teams hurried over to pull them off each other, but the damage was done. Slytherin would forfeit the game and both Hyunjin and Minho would serve suspensions, one and two games respectively.

Minho wiped his nose with the back of his hand and was surprised by the amount of blood on it. “Who are you to lay a hand on me? You’re nothing more than just a pretty face. And you’re no better than the rest of your friends!” he screamed. 

Hyunjin shook off his teammates and glowered at Minho before turning and rushing off to the locker room. In the stands above them, the professors had cleared students away and were helping Chan to his feet to escort him to the hospital wing. Beside them, Jisung’s face was white as a sheet and he kept rubbing his chest where Chan had shoved him. 

A few Gryffindors had shouldered their way over to Jisung and were making sure the boy was okay. Seungmin rushed out of the stands to try and find Hyunjin so he could make sure his friend was okay.

Chan’s arm wasn’t irreparably broken, thankfully, but it was a bit too shattered for Youngjae, the head of the infirmary, to feel comfortable using a magical remedy to fix it. Skele-Gro had long since been retired from use; there were much less painful Muggle remedies that worked just as well, if not better, and caused much less pain. Thus, Chan ended up in a cast from elbow to hand. 

Seungmin stood outside of the Hufflepuff locker room, watching the team slowly file by him one by one, but Hyunjin never came out. “Hyunjinnie? Is everything okay? We can go see Chan hyung whenever you’re ready,” he called through the open door. 

Chan winced as Youngjae dressed his arm but smiled as Felix rushed into the hospital wing. “Seungminnie went to get Hyunjin,” he said as he sat down. 

Hyunjin finally came out of the locker room with an odd look on his face. Seungmin didn’t think now was a good time to ask so he stayed silent for the entire walk to the hospital wing. He let Hyunjin run ahead of him when they arrived and was surprised to see Chan wearing a cast. He had always thought wizards would have a faster way to heal injuries. 

Youngjae had given Chan a dose of pain relieving potion and was holding him in the hospital wing until it kicked in. “Did you guys win?” Chan asked Hyunjin when he and Seungmin got there. 

Hyunjin opened his mouth to answer, but Seungmin cut him off, knowing his friend would go off on an angry tangent if he got the chance. “Technically, they did, but it’s because Slytherin was forced to forfeit,” he explained. 

“Why?” Chan asked blankly, “wasn’t it an accident? No one in their right mind would hit a giant ball of iron at someone’s unprotected face.”

“That’s because Lee Minho isn’t in his right mind!” Hyunjin said angrily before Seungmin could cut him off again, “he’s diabolical and lives to make people suffer. That Bludger was aimed at Jisung on purpose! I saw Minho glaring at him all game.”

“He came to talk to me the other day,” Chan said absently, “but I’m not surprised he’s mad at Jisung. Most of the Slytherins are right now.”

“He’s Yang Jeongin’s personal bodyguard. They were both in our carriage on the first day and he snapped at Jisung then,” Hyunjin said, crossing his arms, “I bet they’ve had this planned for a while.”

“I don’t think Jeongin had anything to do with it,” Seungmin defended, “he never fights with Jisung; it’s always Jisung picking on him.”

“Jeongin had to have something to do with this if Minho got involved,” Hyunjin retorted. He sat on the edge of the bed on Chan’s uninjured side. 

“That doesn’t mean he asked him to do something,” Seungmin argued, “I bet the poor kid’s just as distraught as you are.”

“Jisung has never physically attacked someone, let alone someone who is completely innocent. He doesn’t deserve to be distraught,” Hyunjin said flatly. 

“I mean, he has been being a dick,” Seungmin said slowly, “he keeps picking fights with Jeongin out of nowhere over nothing. That’s not really fair to him, now is it?”

Hyunjin groaned. “Seungmin, we keep telling you, you can’t trust him. Where is this soft spot coming from anyway? You don’t know the kid or his family,” he said. 

“Look, Chan and I are the two out of all of us that are _supposed_ to be worried about him and we both think he’s fine,” Seungmin said pointedly, “you’re jumping on a high horse that isn’t even yours to jump on.”

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. “When this sympathy blows up in your face, don’t come crying to me,” he said. He turned away from Seungmin, ending the conversation, and laying down on the bed so he could curl into Chan’s side. 

Seungmin glowered but didn’t say anything. Instead, he sat down in the chair next to the bed, steadfastly ignoring Chan. “I think he’s kinda cute,” the oldest said a minute later, “in a kid kinda way.” Both boys ignored him. The pain relieving potion was definitely starting to kick in.

Minho refused to go to the hospital wing, opting to heal his nose on his own. The only other person he had allowed into his room was Jeongin and he was currently angrily ranting to the boy about the Hufflepuff prefect who had ruined his plan. 

“Lee Minho!” Jacob shouted as he all but slammed his way into the room. “What the _hell_ were you thinking? And don’t tell me it was an accident; I’m not stupid.”

Minho jumped when Jacob thundered into his room. He frowned, knowing he wouldn’t be able to kick out the head boy. “Han Jisung is a menace to this school and no one seems too keen on stopping him except me. It’s not my fault the Hufflepuff prefect jumped in front,” he said flatly. 

“If Chan hadn’t jumped in front of him, he could have been killed,” Jacob raged, “I don’t care how little you like someone, Azkaban is _not_ worth it. You’re lucky I managed to get you off with just suspension and a month of detention. You’ll be going with Jackson to feed the thestrals every night except Fridays.”

Minho glared at Jacob. “No. Absolutely not. I refuse to help feed those beasts. I appreciate you getting my punishment lessened but I would rather do almost anything else,” he said. 

“That’s not even a punishment,” Jeongin protested, “the thestrals are so calm. They should make him do something with a death risk, since he almost killed Jisung.” “It’s not negotiable,” Jacob said, “you’ll go with Jackson Saturday through Thursday and help the caretaker on Fridays.”

Minho whipped around to face Jeongin. “I did this for you. Don’t spin this back on me,” he spat. 

“I didn’t _ask_ you to try and _kill_ someone for me,” Jeongin said, “all you did was make my life all that much harder because people are going to think I _did_. You deserve everything you get now.”

Minho sucked in a breath. “You were fine with this when you came in hysterically crying. But now that I went through with my promise, you’re going to act like you didn’t want this. I was your last chance to get rid of Han Jisung and you blew it. He’s going to make your life a living hell and I can’t wait for a front row seat,” he said angrily. He shoved past Jacob and into the common room. 

“I was fine with you talking to Chan,” Jeongin called after him, “not with you attempting to murder a fourth year!” Jacob took a deep breath before turning to Jeongin. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this was happening?” he asked, much gentler than his earlier tone, “I could’ve done something.” “I was handling it,” Jeongin said weakly. 

Jacob guided Jeongin to sit down. “It’s okay to ask for help, Innie. I can still do something about this. And I will personally keep an eye on Minho and make sure none of this continues,” he said gently. 

“I don’t want this to be anyone else’s problem though,” Jeongin said heatedly, “you and Minho and Changbin shouldn’t _have_ to deal with the shit you get for being friends with me.”

Jacob sighed. “We don’t have to deal with this but we want to. Me being Head Boy aside, I want to deal with whatever Han Jisung and his friends are doing to you. We look out for our own, at any cost, and sometimes without thinking things through,” he said.

“It’s not his friends,” Jeongin said hurriedly, “it’s just Jisung. Seungmin actually...he does the thestrals too, but he doesn’t want anyone to know about it. He’s actually really nice. No, it’s only Jisung. No one else.” That wasn’t entirely true; Hyunjin was equally snarky, but he was never nearly as mean as Jisung was. 

Jacob nodded. “I’m going to have a chat with the Head Girl. I don’t want you telling Minho anything else. If he wants to know something, he can come talk to me,” he said. 

“Did Hyunjin get detention too?” Jeongin asked. Jacob nodded. “They retracted his Quidditch suspension, but he has to do a week of cleaning with Tuan. Is there anything else _I_ should know right now?” he asked, “I’m going to talk to this Seungmin you mentioned and see what else he knows about Jisung.”

“No,” Jeongin said stubbornly, “I don’t want him involved in this at all. Talk to Chan all you want, but I don’t want Seungmin to think I’m targeting him or something, not when I have to work with him every Friday.”

“I can’t promise that I won’t talk to him eventually, but for right now I’ll wait,” Jacob said, “I’m sure you’re exhausted by all of this and you’re more than welcome to stay in my room tonight. Minho wouldn’t dare to come in.”

“No, I think I’ll stay in bed tonight,” Jeongin said, “thanks though, hyung.” The truth was that he just didn’t want Jacob to see him cry. He smiled tightly and thanked Jacob again before leaving to go to his own room. 

Jacob followed Jeongin into the common room to find Minho steaming on the couch. The younger boy’s eyes bore holes into Jeongin’s back until the door to his room closed behind him. Minho whipped back around to look at Jacob. “I can’t believe he would turn on his own kind that quickly. He’s a disgrace to this house,” he spat. “No, Minho, he’s not. You are,” Jacob said. 

Jeongin curled up in bed, trying desperately to block out the sound of Jacob and Minho fighting in the common room. Minho wasn’t wrong, really. He _was_ a disgrace to Slytherin House, both of his parents’ time and of his own. He would never tell either of his hyungs, but he received much more bullying from within the house than outside of it, much worse than Han Jisung would ever be able to do to him. 

Jacob didn’t get very angry easily, and he especially didn’t typically get angry with Minho, but after the events of the day it was hard not to. The sixth year had taken the code of loyalty much too far and wasn’t even repentant. At one point he couldn’t take the back and forth with Minho and kicked the younger boy out of the common room, telling him not to come back until he had thought everything through. 

Jeongin didn’t fall asleep until well after the shouting had ended. He knew everyone was mad at him for causing all of these problems and he didn’t want to let the tears flow until he knew that all the other third year boys were asleep. Slowly, the room filled with snoring and only then did he let the tears flow.


	3. Chapter 3

Changbin was sequestered in the library, finishing an essay, when Minho slammed his way in and dropped down at the table. “Jacob kicked you out?” he asked without looking up.

Minho narrowed his eyes and stared at Changbin. “And what makes you think that?” he asked flatly. 

“You royally fucked up and you’re in the _fucking library_ ,” Changbin said, looking up with raised eyebrows. 

Minho huffed and crossed his arms. “I didn’t fuck up anything. It was that damned Hufflepuff who ruined what I had planned,” he said angrily, “if he hadn’t jumped in the way, we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Minho, I love you, but you tried to kill someone,” Changbin said, “you have to realize that was a very bad course of action. You’re _lucky_ Bang Chan took the Bludger or you’d‘ve probably been expelled and imprisoned.”

“It wouldn’t have killed him. And if it did, that’s what he deserves for bullying Jeongin for the last two, almost three years,” Minho said heatedly. Why did no one understand that he had to do this? Why was everyone against him now?

“Do you ever actually talk to Jeongin, or do you just make assumptions about what he wants, like everyone else?” Changbin asked, trying to keep his voice gentle, “everyone already thinks he’s a genocidal maniac. The last thing he wants is for someone to get hurt because of him, regardless of their blood status. Not to mention that Jisung’s literally a child, like all the rest of us. I agree that he needs to leave Jeongin alone, but you can’t just kill him over it. Kids make mistakes.”

“Yes, I talked to him. He asked me not to tell Jacob hyung so I told him I would take matters into my own hands. And that’s what I did. He may be a child, but bullying someone who is innocent because you refuse to believe anything but what your twisted parents sell you is unforgivable,” Minho said angrily. He was struggling to keep his voice low enough.

“That’s pretty hypocritical of you,” Changbin said lightly, “or do I need to remind you that it took you two whole years to get over the fact that you weren’t sorted into Ravenclaw and realize that being a Slytherin doesn’t make you a bad person? Taking matters into your own hands means helping Jeongin get help without involving Jacob, as in going to a different prefect or a professor, not straight up attempted murder.” Minho was one of his best friends, he really was, but his stubbornness about this was quickly becoming old.

“I didn’t come here to get my life decisions analyzed. I came here to sit with a friend, but it looks like I found the wrong place,” Minho pushed himself up from the table, “the only thing I regret about today is that my Bludger didn’t hit Han Jisung. And if I’m the only one that feels that way so be it.”

“Sit down,” Changbin said sharply, picking up his wand and pointing it at Minho. He knew the older boy knew he wouldn’t hesitate to charm him back into his chair. “Why is it so important to you that the Bludger needed to hit Jisung?” he asked once Minho had sat back down.

“Because that boy needs to understand that there are repercussions for his actions. Every prefect I talked to brushed me off so I had to take matters into my own hand. The opportunity presented itself perfectly and the only thing that ruined it was the Hufflepuff,” Minho replied. 

“I’m fairly certain every prefect you talked to would have told you that they can’t do anything if they don’t see it happening,” Changbin said matter-of-factly, “that’s in their protocol and if they get caught taking points with no evidence, then they can get their badge revoked. What’s the real reason? You don’t care this much about the bullies in your own house.”

“Bullies in my own house? What are you talking about?” Minho asked with a raised eyebrow. The only person Jeongin had ever told him about was Jisung. 

“You really pay no attention,” Changbin said, shaking his head, “whatever shit Jeongin might get from the other three houses, it’s twice as bad in Slytherin House. Half the time, he doesn’t even sleep there. He’ll sneak out and come sleep in Ravenclaw Tower because he doesn’t feel safe in his own bed. I guarantee you, nothing that Han Jisung has ever thought to say to him is anywhere near as bad as the way your own supposed ‘family’ treats him.”

Minho was surprised that this was the first time he was hearing about this. He assumed if he didn’t know that Jacob didn’t know as well, but he wasn’t about to tell the Head Boy. It wasn’t his concern anymore. “I presume Jeongin asked you not to tell Jacob hyung,” Minho said, it wasn’t really a question. 

“Jeongin didn’t tell me anything,” Changbin said, a little sadly, “it’s so easy to see if you actually look. He never eats with the rest of the House, he either waits until they’re done or takes it and leaves. He won’t talk to or look at other Slytherins except you two. He gets shoved all over the place in the hallway. Oh, and I wake up to him in my bed every other morning. My prefects don’t even question it anymore. I don’t think Jisung is really even on Jeongin’s radar when it comes to his problems.”

Minho sat back in his chair. “Huh, that’s good to know,” he said, a little distracted. Sure he could take all of this to Jacob and let the older boy do something, but he wasn’t going to. Jeongin wasn’t his responsibility anymore. 

“That kid really looks up to you,” Changbin said softly, “the least you can do is pay attention and listen to him.”

Minho rolled his eyes. “He has Jacob hyung to listen to him now. He barely told me what was going on before and I know he’s not going to talk to me now,” he said. 

Changbin looked up at Minho with a glare. “Go away,” he said finally, “you can come back when you have an apology ready for all three of us.”

Minho sighed and pushed himself up from the chair. “Don’t hold your breath,” he said before stalking out of the library.

Seungmin had gone with Hyunjin and Felix to the first Hogsmeade weekend once they had gotten Chan back to the dorm and in bed under the watchful eyes of the other Hufflepuff prefects and Jisung. The other two had come back early, but Seungmin stayed behind to go to the bookstore and was just now returning, wandering the halls alone. 

Minho didn’t spend much of his time in the Slytherin dorms, opting to walk around the halls instead. He turned a corner and was surprised to come across one of Han Jisung's little Hufflepuff friends. Kim Seungmin, was it? “And what is a Hufflepuff doing wandering around the halls at this hour?” he asked. 

Seungmin ignored Minho and kept walking. The other boy had tried to kill his friend. He wouldn’t get _any_ attention out of Seungmin. 

Minho frowned and stepped in front of Seungmin to block his path. “Didn’t someone teach you it’s rude to ignore someone who’s talking to you?” he asked. 

“Attempted murder is rude too, but that doesn’t seem to bother you,” Seungmin snapped back. He sidestepped around Minho and kept walking. Minho grabbed Seungmin by the arm and yanked him back. He shoved him against the wall, pinning him there. It was late enough that he wasn’t worried about anyone finding them. “You should watch your mouth before I change my mind and don’t let you walk home,” he growled, “I thought you were one of the better ones but you’re just like them. You best be careful before something worse happens to you.”

Seungmin grunted as his back hit the wall and his books clattered to the floor. “You don’t scare me,” he said stubbornly, shoving Minho off of him and bending to pick up his things. 

Minho pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at Seungmin. “You say that now, but I promise you that if you continue to sympathize with Jeongin that will change quickly,” he said darkly. 

“What happened to being Jeongin’s great protector?” Seungmin asked bravely, “that’s why Chan got hurt, isn’t it?”

“That’s none of your business,” Minho snapped, “Chan got hurt because he was stupid enough to jump in front of a Bludger that was never meant to hit him. Maybe you could learn a lesson from him and keep your nose out of places it doesn’t belong.”

“What are you going to do, curse me?” Seungmin asked, “everyone always accuses Jeongin of being the Death Eater, but they’ll see soon enough that it’s actually you.”

Minho snapped at that. “ _Flipendo_ ,” he said, knocking Seungmin backwards onto the ground. He stood over the younger boy and kept his wand pointed directly at his chest. “Don’t you dare accuse me of such a vile thing. And don’t begin to spread lies about things you don’t know. Your precious prefect won’t be able to help you like he helped Jisung. And if he finds out about this, I promise he’ll suffer much worse than a Bludger to the arm,” he threatened angrily.

Seungmin stayed on the ground, not daring to move. He hadn’t expected Minho to _actually_ do anything, throw any spells. Once the older boy had finished his threats and stalked off down the hallway, Seungmin scrambled to gather his books and rush back to the Hufflepuff common room.

Minho wasn’t worried about Seungmin running off to Chan, he knew the younger boy was much too smart for that. Instead he headed back to the Slytherin common room, fully intent on apologizing to Jacob and Jeongin. He could talk with Changbin later. 

Jeongin was debating going to find Changbin. His roommates had been giving him weird looks all evening and he didn’t want to take any risks. Jacob kept him distracted though, setting up a game of wizard chess in the common room. 

“Ah, just the people I wanted to see,” Minho said when he walked into the common room. He took a seat on the couch next to Jacob. “I’ve been thinking about everything a lot and I owe both of you a proper apology.”

Jeongin sighed and shifted so his body was turned away from Minho. “I don’t want to hear it,” he said coldly. 

Minho tilted his head to the side and stared at Jeongin for a moment. “Fine, that saves me the effort,” he said, standing up again, “I’ll be in my room if you want me, hyung.” As much as Jacob probably didn’t want to talk to him either, he had to be much more civil than Jeongin.

Jeongin rolled his eyes. “Asshole,” he muttered as Minho left, “why would he even offer if he wasn’t going to go through with it?”

“Because he’s not actually ready to apologize,” Jacob said simply, “and he won’t be until people are ready to listen to him. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t realize that he’s going to have to apologize in spite of that.”

“Why should I listen to him when all he does is insult me and make decisions for me?” Jeongin asked. He moved a piece and sat back. “Check.”

Jacob frowned and moved his King out of danger. “You don’t have to listen to him. You don’t even have to talk to him and after two years you’ll never have to see him again,” he said. 

“That’s still two years of being even more miserable than usual,” Jeongin mumbled as he ruthlessly captured Jacob’s Queen. 

Jacob sighed as he watched his Queen get smashed to bits. With a wave of his wand he repaired the piece and set it to the side. “I’ll still be here for the rest of this year and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t find a way to get himself expelled by then,” he said. 

Jeongin moved his rook to corner Jacob’s king. “Checkmate,” he said as he sat back. “I just don’t understand why he’s suddenly decided that I’m a disgrace or whatever,” he continued, “of all the possible reasons, this should be the last one.”

Jacob sat back and looked at Jeongin. “He is unendingly loyal and he expects everyone to be the same. He did what he believed was a favor to you to try and stop Jisung from bothering you. When you turned on him, rightly so, he took that as an act of betrayal. He is horribly thick headed and I doubt he’ll ever understand why everyone disagrees with what he did,” he said. 

“That isn’t loyalty,” Jeongin argued, “loyalty involves trust in the victim to know how they want things handled. Loyalty was him promising to keep it away from you. Loyalty was him trusting me when I asked him to take it to Chan instead. Loyalty is not him doing something that he should have known I would have been uncomfortable with. I’m sorry, Jacob, but that’s _bullshit_.”

“I understand that, but he doesn’t,” Jacob said calmly, “that’s what he thinks and that’s why he’s acting like this. _This_ is why he barely has any friends in his year and even in this house.”

“But acting like that’s in any way true is just excusing his behavior,” Jeongin said, getting heated, “he needs to know that he’s the one in the wrong and he’ll never learn if you keep letting him just get away with it.”

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer?’” Jacob asked, “I have done everything I can about the situation as Head Boy and if I do anymore I’m going to lose the last bit of influence I still have on Minho. I know that what happened affects you a lot more than the next person and I know that you’re angry, but you don’t know him as well as you think you do and you definitely underestimate what he is capable of.”

“Who’s side are you on?” Jeongin asked, a little coldly, “because it sounds to me like you care more about keeping up a relationship with Minho than you do about keeping me or anyone else safe from him.”

Jacob took a deep breath. “This isn’t about sides. Taking sides is what got us into this mess to begin with,” he said calmly, “I’m keeping my relationship with Minho to keep everyone safe. I don’t blame you for being skeptical and I don’t expect you to understand. Just please don’t take your anger out on the wrong people.”

Jeongin pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. “Come find me if Minho decides he wants to apologize for real,” he said coldly, “otherwise, don’t talk to me.” He turned and headed into his room, slamming the door behind him. 

Jacob silently cleaned up the chess board and the rest of the broken pieces. He needed to have a chat with Chan, but he wasn’t keen on leaving the dorm with an angry Minho in one room and an even angrier Jeongin in another. 

Chan was surprised when a silver bear suddenly barged through the wall into his room. He would recognize Jacob’s Patronus anywhere though and heeded his request to come meet him in the Slytherin common room. 

Jacob heaved a sigh of relief when Chan entered the common room. “I’m sorry to drag you all the way down here,” he apologized.

“It’s fine, Cobi,” Chan said. He was a little tired, but that was mostly because the pain relief potion had started to wear off and Youngjae wouldn’t give him another dose until the morning. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel like I’m on babysitting duty instead of fixing anything. Minho tried to give Jeongin a half assed apology, which of course the kid didn’t accept so now Minho’s in his room plotting God knows what. And Jeongin’s angry with me because I tried to explain to him that I’m only staying close with Minho to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else,” Jacob paused and took a deep breath, “I can’t have a conversation with either of them but I also can’t leave them alone and I have half a mind to lock Minho in his room and not let him out until the end of the year.”

“I know you want to protect Jeongin, but your best course of action would be to keep an eye on Minho,” Chan said after a minute, “right now, he’s the threat. I’ll take care of Jeongin. I think Seungmin’s becoming friends with him too.”

Jacob nodded. “Seungmin’s a good kid. I think that’d be good for Jeongin if he can have someone closer to his age as a friend,” he said. He twirled his fingers together and dropped his voice. “I’m not supposed to say anything but I had a meeting yesterday and if Minho pulls anything, I lose Head Boy. He could look at someone wrong and it’s gone. The problem is that if I lose Head Boy, Minho won’t listen to me and he definitely won’t listen to whoever takes my place and he’s going to hurt more people and get himself expelled.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Chan said, affronted, “you shouldn’t lose your position because of one kid ignoring you, especially if that kid happens to be a homicidal maniac. That should be out of your hands.”

“Minho’s been ignoring prefects for weeks. And it just keeps getting worse. He hasn’t listened then and he’s certainly not gonna start now. My job is to keep everyone safe and if I can’t do that, they’re gonna get someone who can,” Jacob said sadly.

“I can’t imagine he’s always been like this,” Chan said uncertainly. He really didn’t know Minho at all beyond the few things Jacob had told him over the years.

“He used to be such a good kid,” Jacob said sadly, “he was so nice when we were younger. I just don’t know how the hell he slipped so far away from that. The stuff he’s involving himself in now…it’s not good. There’s gotta be something going on but he won’t talk to anyone about it. More than anything I’m scared of what's going to happen next year when we’re gone.”

“Is there anyone he would talk to?” Chan asked, “or maybe you can ask your dad if there’s something happening at home? He would know if there was.”

“The only people I knew he talked to are me, Changbin, and Jeongin. Bin and Innie are both angry with him and he probably thinks I am too. I’ll send my dad an owl first thing in the morning and see what he knows or if he could find anything out,” Jacob said. 

“I’m just worried that if we let him slip through the cracks, he’ll end up getting into things that are too dangerous to even think about,” Chan said quietly, “you know, the things Jeongin’s parents got themselves into. Those factions still exist out there somewhere.”

“What if it’s too late? What if we lost our chance to help him?” Jacob asked worriedly. He would never forgive himself if they couldn’t save Minho because they didn’t pay close enough attention.

“Cobi,” Chan said firmly, reaching for the older boy’s hands, “we’re gonna help him. By force, if we have to.”

Jacob took a deep breath. “I’ve never been at this much of a loss before,” he admitted quietly.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Chan promised, “I’m gonna make sure this gets fixed and that you don’t lose your badge, okay?” He absently rubbed the back of Jacob’s hand with his thumb. 

Jacob looked up and smiled softly. “Thanks, Chan,” he whispered, “you don’t have to stay if you want to get back to your boys. They’re probably looking for you.”

“They all passed out a while ago,” Chan said, “and they know not to worry if I’m gone. I’d rather stay and make sure you’re not beating yourself up.”

“I guess the good thing about you being a prefect is that I don’t have to worry about you getting in trouble for wandering the halls after curfew when you leave,” Jacob said. He squeezed Chan’s uncasted hand gently. 

“Who says I’m leaving?” Chan asked with an innocent smile. He got to his feet, pulling Jacob with him. “C’mon,” he said, “it’s bedtime for you.”

Jacob’s eyes widened. He let Chan pull him to his feet and guide him towards his bedroom. “As much as I would love you to stay, we both know you can’t,” he said a little sadly. 

“I can do what I want,” Chan said stubbornly. Deep down, he was doing this more for himself than anything. He desperately needed the comfort that Jacob always managed to provide. 

Jacob sighed. He knew there was no arguing when Chan made up his mind. “I just don’t want you to get caught,” he mumbled, knowing that wasn’t going to persuade Chan in the slightest. 

“The only person that’s gonna care is Minho and I don’t give a single fuck what he thinks anymore,” Chan retorted. He was pretty sure that most of the school knew about them at this point anyway. They weren’t exactly subtle; they just never talked about it publicly. He gently pushed Jacob into his room and made him sit on the bed while he grabbed a pair of pajamas.

Jacob shook his head, a fond smile playing at his lips. “You really are something else,” he said quietly. 

Chan hummed. “You love me for it though,” he said as he handed the clothes to Jacob. He plopped down on the bed, waiting for the other boy to hurry up and join him. 

“Of course I do,” Jacob said. He got changed and climbed into bed slowly, not wanting to jostle Chan’s arm around too much. “It’s been so long since you’ve stayed,” he commented. 

“We’ve both been busy these first couple weeks,” Chan said, “especially with our friends wreaking havoc all over the place. I’m glad we managed to find time at all.”

Jacob sighed sadly. “I really am so sorry this happened. If there was a Time Turner anywhere in this school, I would have prevented Minho from ever stepping foot on the pitch that day,” he said.

“It’s not your fault,” Chan said, “someone told me they overheard him saying that he just saw Jisung and did it, that it wasn’t planned. I don’t know much about Minho, but that seems pretty in character for him from what you’ve told me.”

“That’s what makes it so hard to keep an eye on him. One little thing will set him off and he’s gone. No plan and no thought, he just snaps. He’s got the shortest temper I’ve ever seen,” Jacob said. 

“Poor kid really needs help,” Chan said. He forcibly rearranged Jacobs pillows to have one supporting his arm then extinguished the lights with a wave of his wand. 

“Yeah, he does. I just don’t think he wants it. He doesn't realize how bad everything has gotten and it’s just going to keep spiraling downhill. And I know he needs more help than I can give him, but I can’t afford to get any professors involved,” Jacob said sadly. He carefully wrapped an arm around Chan and pulled him close. 

Chan settled in happily under Jacob’s arm. “The only thing I can think of is to force the three of them - Minho, Jisung, and Jeongin - to spend time together until they all get over themselves and work out their issues,” he said, “but they’d probably just end up killing each other instead.”

“Jisung does seem like quite the hot head. Maybe we can work on Jeongin and Jisung first and I’ll talk to Minho and help him understand what happened and apologize sincerely to everyone, even you,” Jacob said. 

“Jisung’s just so stubborn,” Chan said with a sigh, “he gets set in one belief and refuses to change it, no matter what the evidence is. Poor Jeongin could give up magic altogether and go live as a Muggle and Jisung would still call him a Death Eater.”

“Jisung’s not even close to the only one that thinks like that. Hell, there’s definitely members of this house that say the same thing,” Jacob said sadly, “I know Minho’s having a hard time right now, but Jeongin has had it rough since he got here.”

“I feel so bad for him,” Chan said, “and I don’t even know a single Muggleborn that’s nervous around him. We all know he’s harmless. It’s everyone with Wizarding blood that gives him hell.”

“Anyone who takes a moment to get to know Jeongin will know he’s a sweet kid. There’s just so much I could be doing for him and I have less than a year left to make sure these people leave him alone,” Jacob whispered.

“If there’s anyone that can make it happen, Cobi, it’s you,” Chan said softly, “it’s only the end of September. We still have eight months to make this all better.”

“Do you think...do you think I should just step down as Head Boy now and focus on this? I’m not going to be able to devote the attention to Minho and Jeongin that they need on top of my other responsibilities. Plus it would be my own choice and not someone else taking my badge,” Jacob asked carefully.

“No,” Chan said firmly, “I mean, yes, if you’re uncomfortable in the position, but not for those two idiots. They shouldn’t even be your responsibility to begin with.” He softened his voice a bit. “And you know it’ll hurt your chances of getting into the Auror program if you do. Stick with it for that if nothing else.”

Jacob exhaled shakily. He had dreamed of becoming an Auror ever since he first picked up a wand, just like his dad, and he wanted to do everything he could to get into the program. “Alright, I’ll stay,” he said, “thanks for being so supportive, baby. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He leaned over and kissed Chan’s cheek softly. 

“You know I’ll support you in anything,” Chan said, ignoring the way the pet name made his cheeks flush, “and if you really do want to step down, I’ll support you in that too, but I really think you shouldn’t give up yet. Give it the benefit of the doubt, yeah?”

“I will. I don’t want to step down, but if it’s what's best for Hogwarts and for helping Minho and Jeongin, I’d be willing to do it,” Jacob explained. 

“That’s why you got the position in the first place,” Chan said fondly, “and also why Slytherins should have historically made such good Heads, if the whole purism thing hadn’t complicated it. You’re so unfailingly loyal, you consider what’s best for every single other person before you think about what’s best for you.”

“But that’s part of the job. Anyone in my shoes would do the same thing,” Jacob said, a little embarrassed, “you always put others before yourself too.”

“That’s not entirely true. I put people I care about ahead of myself, but I don’t do the same with people I don’t know,” Chan said, “but you are so loyal not only to your friends or your House or the school, but to the values of the position itself that you’re willing to give it up to resolve something that isn’t your responsibility in the first place. _That’s_ why they gave it to you.”

“Knock it off, Chris,” Jacob said. He was glad the room was dark so he didn’t have to hide his flushed face in the younger boy’s neck. He couldn’t help but think that there had to be someone else better suited to fill the position if a professor was so willing to take him out of it. 

Chan felt his heart warm at Jacob’s use of his English name. He leaned forward and kissed the elder softly. “You’re doing a wonderful job,” he said quietly, “and I’m really, really proud of you.”

Jacob smiled to himself. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said sincerely, “it’s getting late and you need a good night's rest to help your arm heal.”

Chan kissed Jacob again before settling down with his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He bid Jacob good night and closed his eyes. Hopefully, the next day would bring much better things.


	4. Chapter 4

Seungmin was just as nervous to feed the thestrals as he was the first night. He was scared to even look at Jeongin let alone work with him. Not because he was scared of the younger boy, but because he was scared Minho would somehow find out and follow through with his threats.

Jeongin was, to put it lightly, absolutely miserable. Minho wasn’t talking to anyone, he wasn’t talking to Jacob, and Changbin wouldn’t talk to him until he talked to Jacob. He hadn’t felt more alone since his first week of first year. At least he could count on Seungmin to be kind to him during their weekly adventures. Or so he thought. 

Seungmin tried to be as friendly as he could to Jeongin without talking to him. He mustered a small smile when Jeongin joined them in the hut, but kept his head down the rest of the time. He wanted to explain to the boy that his actions had nothing to do with him, but that would make everything so much worse. 

Jeongin didn’t know why Seungmin was suddenly acting so cold to him but he assumed that it had to do with Minho’s little stunt at the Quidditch match. “I didn’t ask him to do it,” he blurted out as soon as Jackson had walked away. He knew it had been a week, but he still felt the need to say it.

Seungmin sighed sadly. “I know,” he whispered. He wanted to assure Jeongin that he wasn’t mad at him and more than anything he wanted to assure him that he knew how terrible Minho was, but his hands were tied. He hated being in this position. 

“You don’t believe me,” Jeongin mumbled, more to himself than anything. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have expected anything else.” It hurt, a bit. He really did think that Seungmin understood. 

Seungmin turned away from Jeongin. “I’m so sorry,” he said before walking to the other side of the clearing. He did believe Jeongin, more than anything else, but he couldn’t tell him that right now. 

“Clearly,” Jeongin muttered sarcastically. He finished feeding his bucket to the thestrals and headed back alone, leaving Seungmin to wait for Jackson.

Seungmin did his best to act happy so Jackson didn’t ask questions. When they finally got back to the castle, he booked it to his room and straight under the covers, not even bothering to talk to anyone. Maybe he would talk to Jackson and tell him he couldn’t help feed the thestrals anymore. 

Jeongin trudged back to the common room, not excited about having to deal with any Slytherins. As he was entering the room, he got knocked aside by Minho storming out. The older boy didn’t apologize, once again. 

Minho looked Jeongin up and down once before scoffing and stalking off. He had more important things to worry about. 

A few nights later found Seungmin finally heading home from the library. He had spent the last couple of hours working on an essay for Charms, which was easily his worst class, and was glad to finally have it done so he could go to bed.

Minho had just finished another night of his punishment with Jackson. He was already tired of his punishment and he had barely even started it. What he wasn’t expecting to find on his way back to the dormitory, however, was Seungmin just leaving the library. “Well, well, well, look what we have here,” he drawled. 

“Please leave me alone,” Seungmin said timidly. He tried to subtly flatten himself to the wall, keeping as far out of Minho’s way as he could. He didn’t need to provoke the older boy. 

“What’s wrong? I thought you weren’t scared of me?” Minho taunted. He walked across the hallway over to the younger boy, watching as he tried to hide against the wall. 

“Can you please leave me alone?” Seungmin begged quietly, ignoring the question, “I haven’t done anything to you.”

“Not yet, but I know you’re on Jeongin’s side in all of this and we certainly can’t have that. And if you’re still not afraid of me like you claim, what’s stopping you from running to your precious prefect? Worried I’ll follow through on my threat?” Minho asked. He stepped closer to Seungmin, crowding him against the wall. 

“I’m not on his side!” Seungmin said hurriedly, “I haven’t talked to him since the game!” He cowered back a bit when Minho stepped closer. 

Minho’s eyebrows raised. “Oh really? Then let’s keep it that way,” he said, pulling his wand out of his pocket, “I really would hate for you to be tempted to talk to him should you run into him. He pointed his wand at the roll of parchment in Seungmin’s arm and murmured “ _Illegibilus.”_ He smiled in satisfaction as the words on the page became unreadable. “That should keep you busy, shouldn’t it?”

Seungmin all but ripped his essay open, dropping the other books in his arms, and stared in shock as the words on the page became completely illegible. He had spent _hours_ on this and it was all gone. Now he had to start all over and with only a few hours left to finish if he wanted any sleep before class in the morning. He was so distraught he hadn’t even noticed Minho leaving. 

Minho had to admit it was fun messing with the Hufflepuff. The threat of hurting Chan worse than he already had was enough to keep him quiet, and more importantly, away from Jeongin. 

Seungmin headed back to the library, practically in tears at the thought of starting this essay from scratch. It was going to be a long night. 

Minho reveled in the way the common room fell silent when he walked in. He headed to his room with not so much as a glance in anyone else’s direction. The whispers started just before his door closed, but he wasn’t worried about those. 

Jeongin stared daggers across the common room when Minho walked through. The older boy had a lot of nerve, walking through there like he owned the place. 

Minho was half expecting someone to storm into his room and demand to know what he was doing here. He almost had to admit he was a little disappointed when no one did, but nevertheless, it gave him peace and quiet to write his Potions essay. It dawned on him a moment later that not even Jacob had made his presence known.

Jeongin huffed and stood up, abandoning the game of chess he was playing to storm into his room and slam the door. He emerged just seconds later, heading off to the library. 

Minho looked up when he heard doors slam. He didn’t need to be in the common room to know it was Jeongin. With a smirk, he turned back to his essay.

Chan and Jacob had taken refuge in the younger’s dorm this time and were doing nothing more than cuddling in his bed when the door suddenly flew open and Jisung and Hyunjin came tumbling in. 

Jacob jumped a mile when two boys stormed into the room. He didn’t know them well, but he knew them to be two of the kids that Chan had grown fond of. He sat up quickly and cleared his throat, waiting for whatever the boys had to say. 

Hyunjin looked between the two of them with raised eyebrows before remembering what he had originally come there for. “Seungmin’s gone,” he cried. 

“What do you mean Seungmin’s gone?” Jacob asked. “He’s not here,” Jisung snarked. Jacob sighed and rephrased his question. “Did he say he was going anywhere earlier?” he asked instead. 

“He mentioned something about the library, but he’s never stayed out this late before,” Hyunjin said worriedly, “the latest he’s stayed is midnight, and even that was during exams.”

“Let’s go check the library first and if he’s not there, I’ll send a message to the prefects to search the castle for him,” Jacob said. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his wand from the nightstand. 

“You two stay here,” Chan ordered, “and let us know if he comes back before we do.”

“Why do we have to stay here? We want to make sure Seungmin is okay too,” Jisung said. He crossed his arms and stared up at Chan with a look of determination.

“And you can,” Chan said patiently, “by letting us know if he comes back so that Jacob and I and the rest of the prefects aren’t out looking for him at the crack of dawn for no reason.”

“Fine,” Jisung grumbled, “just find him quick.” He shot Chan an “or else” look before he went back into the common room and made himself at home on the couch.

Chan rolled his eyes and ruffled Jisung’s hair before leaving with Jacob to go to the library. He hoped Seungmin was there. 

“He is a tough kid, but you can tell he cares a lot about his friends,” Jacob commented when they were out of earshot of Jisung. They walked quickly towards the library, wanting to find Seungmin as soon as possible. 

“Absolutely,” Chan said, “that’s why he’s so testy with Jeongin. He just sees him as a threat. Once he realizes he’s harmless, none of this will be a problem anymore, I hope.”

“He’ll come around soon. He’s just gonna need a little help,” Jacob said. He realized when they got to the library that he didn’t really know what Seungmin looked like, but he doubted there were many Hufflepuffs studying at this hour anyway. 

Chan and Jacob carefully scoured all the tables and between the stacks, trying to find Seungmin. It wasn’t until they reached the last table all the way in the corner that Chan spotted the telltale yellow robes. 

Jacob walked over to Seungmin who had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of his essay, and gently shook him awake. Seungmin blinked his eyes open and jumped awake when he saw the green robes. He was halfway through an apology when he realized the Slytherin standing above him wasn’t Minho.

Chan and Jacob exchanged worried glances when Seungmin started apologizing before pausing in the middle. “Minnie,” he said softly, “it’s really late.”

“Chan hyung? Wait, really late?” Seungmin asked when he registered what the prefect said. He looked down at his watch and then at his only half finished essay. “Oh no,” he mumbled, reaching for his quill again. 

“Seungmin, come on, it’s time for bed,” Chan said gently, “you’ve been working on this all night, it’s time to take a break.”

“I can’t. It’s due first thing in the morning I have to finish it,” Seungmin said. He skimmed over the last few lines he had written before picking up where he left off. 

Chan laid a hand on Seungmin’s shoulder. “I’ll get up early with you and help you finish it,” he promised, “but Hyunjin and Jisung are really worried about you and you need some sleep.”

Seungmin opened his mouth to protest, but he was too tired to argue with Chan. “Alright,” he agreed, closing his book and rolling up his parchment, “you don’t have to get up early with me, hyung, I’m almost done anyway.” 

“No, but I know this class is hard for you,” Chan said. He stepped back and waited for Seungmin to finish packing his things. 

Seungmin mustered a small smile. “Thanks, hyung,” he said through a yawn. He stood up and held his books and essay close to his chest. 

Chan wrapped one arm around Seungmin’s shoulder and guided him toward Jacob and back to the Hufflepuff dormitory. Once the fourth year was safely in bed, he turned to Jacob. “You don’t have to stay,” he said quietly. 

“What if I want to?” Jacob asked. He wrapped an arm around Chan’s waist and walked him into his own room. 

Chan easily allowed himself to be guided into his own bed. “I guess that’s okay too,” he said, faking a sigh.

“Wow, don’t sound so excited about it,” Jacob teased. He put his wand back on the end table and hoped he didn’t have to pick it up until the morning.

Chan pulled Jacob close, practically on top of him, to kiss him deeply. He was glad that they had a bit of time together, even if it was late. 

Jacob hummed and kissed Chan back. They didn’t get the chance to be together often so he always took advantage of the time they had. “That’s what I thought,” he said with a smirk when they pulled apart. 

Chan sighed and rolled his eyes fondly. “Okay,” he exaggerated, “I _guess_ you can stay.”

Jacob chuckled and kissed Chan’s forehead. “That’s nice of you to get up early to help Seungmin with his essay but that means you have to get to sleep,” he said, “you can enjoy me another night.”

“Oh, I’ll enjoy you, alright,” Chan growled, feeling a sudden surge of confidence. With it, though, came a surge of exhaustion and he fought back a yawn.

“Easy there, tiger,” Jacob said, chuckling quietly, “you’re gonna tire yourself out.” He knew Chan well enough to know that his boyfriend would be out like a light in no time.

Chan sighed happily and laid his head on Jacob’s shoulder. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too,” Jacob whispered sincerely. The one positive about graduating in the spring was that they would get to do this every night.

“I can’t wait until we graduate,” Chan said into the darkness of the room, “we can move to London and you’ll work at the Ministry and I’ll be at St. Mungo’s and it’ll be amazing.”

Jacob smiled. Chan always seemed to be on the exact same page as him. “And then I’ll be able to hold you in my arms every night and no one will be able to stop me,” he said. 

“No one can stop you now,” Chan mumbled, already starting to drift off. He couldn’t help it; Jacob was so comfy and warm.

“You’re right. I would never listen to them,” Jacob said. He recognized Chan’s tired voice and settled down more comfortably. “Night, baby,” he murmured. 

“Night,” Chan mumbled. He tugged the blanket up around his shoulders and let himself fall asleep.

Despite his best efforts, Jacob wasn’t able to have a conversation with Jeongin. The boy wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, and he couldn’t entirely blame him. The only person that Jeongin was talking to that Jacob was friends with was Changbin, so that’s who Jacob sought out. 

Changbin was descending from the Divination classroom when he found Jacob waiting in the hallway. There was no one else around, so he knew the Head Boy was waiting for him. “What’s up?” he asked once the trapdoor was shut securely.

“I was wondering if you’ve talked to Jeongin lately,” Jacob said, “I’ve been trying to talk to him for days, but he’s been avoiding me. I figured he would have come to see you, especially because he’s not talking to Minho either.”

“No, I haven’t,” Changbin said, “I told him not to come whining to me until he started talking to you again. He’s being dumb.”

Jacob sighed and rubbed his forehead. “What is happening this year?” he asked mostly to himself, “it feels like I’m on a wild goose chase just to try and talk to someone.” 

“You’re doing the right thing by keeping an eye on Minho,” Changbin said with a shrug, “he’s made it clear that he’s a threat and you’re not going to be able to keep an eye on him if you openly let him know that you think he’s a threat. Jeongin’s a kid; he’ll realize you’re doing the right thing eventually.”

“I can’t wait until he decides to come around though. Just please stop shutting him out. I don’t want him to isolate himself even more because he feels like he has no one to talk to,” Jacob said. 

“At this point, I don’t know if he’ll willingly talk to me,” Changbin said, “not if he thinks I agree with you. The kid’s been through some shit, Cobi, you know how he gets when he thinks he’s being manipulated. I bet that’s why he’s so upset about this Minho stuff.”

Jacob sighed. “He won’t listen to me explain anything and I really don’t know if he’ll ever understand. I’m not giving up on the kid, but there’s only so much more I can do. Even if I can get Minho to apologize sincerely, he won’t listen to that either,” he said. 

“Maybe it’s time you tell the professors that this is out of your hands,” Changbin said, “you’re a kid; they can’t be expecting you to take all of this on your shoulders.”

“They might be able to help Jeongin, but they’ll never be able to help Minho. He barely trusts me anymore let alone a professor. And I know him, he wouldn’t talk to a professor if he was locked in a room with one and it was the only way to get out. And it’s my job until it gets out of hand, which it hasn’t since the Quidditch match,” Jacob said. 

“It’s not your job to prevent your classmates from committing murder,” Changbin said quietly, “I don’t really know what answer to give you other than lock them in a room and let them duke it out. We know Minho does care about Jeongin, he just doesn’t show it in the right ways.”

Jacob nodded. “Yeah you’re right. Thanks, Binnie. I’ll see what I can do,” he said quietly.

“No problem,” Changbin said, “and I’ll let you know if either of them talks to me.”

“Thank you,” Jacob said sincerely. He left the fifth year alone after that and headed to the Slytherin common room. He had to have a chat with a few specific people.

Jeongin was, for once, the only person in the Slytherin common room. He had gotten almost all of his homework done and was working on an assignment for Muggle Studies. They had to learn a Muggle card game; he had picked Solitaire.

Jacob was relieved to find Jeongin in the common room alone, playing a card game that he didn’t recognize. “Innie, I know you’re busy but can we talk for a few minutes while no one else is around?” he asked carefully. 

“Sure, hyung,” Jeongin said, a little distractedly. He placed a red card on another red card and frowned, glancing at his book. That wasn’t right.

“I know this year has been off to a worse start than most, but I don’t want you to spend the rest of the year hiding from me because you don’t trust me. I want you to have someone you can talk to when you need to. And I know you have Changbin but you should have friends in your own house,” Jacob said, “and I know you’re angry at Minho and I get that, but don’t let that extend where it doesn’t belong.” He wasn’t entirely sure if Jeongin had even heard what he said with how involved he was in whatever he was doing. 

Jeongin sighed, swiping all the cards together to reshuffle them. “I just don’t understand why you’re letting him get away with it,” he said, “he doesn’t deserve any sympathy for being a dick.”

“He’s not getting away with anything and he’s not getting my sympathy. I held him accountable for fulfilling the punishment set by the school and I do not condone what he has done. That being said if I go in there and yell at him and express my disapproval, he’s gonna set the school ablaze and hurt more people than just Chan. I need to get him to understand on his own why what he did was wrong, but it’s hard to do that when he won’t talk to anyone,” Jacob explained.

“He’s not going to understand,” Jeongin said with a sigh as he shuffled his cards, “but you don’t have to worry about me, hyung. You can focus on him. I don’t need anyone.”

“This isn’t about me worrying about one or the other of you. I can take care of both of you. You don’t have to ever be friends with Minho again, but I’m asking that you don’t shut me out too. I know that’s not how you truly feel and you don’t have to act like you’re okay when you aren’t,” Jacob said gently. 

“It’s okay, hyung, really,” Jeongin said absently, “everyone’s giving up on me. Even Seungmin.”

Jacob frowned. It was hard to believe that the boy he had found asleep at the library in the dead of night had given up on Jeongin. “What happened with Seungmin?” he asked carefully.

“I dunno,” Jeongin said dully, “we were getting pretty friendly, then everything happened and now he won’t talk to me anymore. I think he thinks I asked Minho to do it.”

That didn’t make sense at all. “I’ll have Chan talk to him and see what happened. From what I know, that doesn’t sound like something he would do,” Jacob paused for a moment, “not everyone’s giving up on you, Innie. I know it’s hard to see but I promise we’re out there.”

“No, please don’t,” Jeongin said earnestly, “I don’t want to make things any more awkward or make Seungmin feel pressured. He doesn’t _have_ to care about me. _I_ don’t even care about me.”

“I want to help you, I really do, but I can’t unless you tell me everything that’s going on. And I’m sorry you don’t care about yourself right now but I do. And I’m not going to stop fighting for you not just because I’m Head Boy, but because I’m your friend,” Jacob said.

“I’m not going to hurt myself or anything,” Jeongin said, rolling his eyes as he put his deck of cards away, “I’m just...I dunno, I’m sad. That’s it really.”

“There’s more to it than that. And I know there’s way more to it than Minho,” Jacob said patiently, “but I’m not gonna force you to tell me. That’s not fair. I’m not lying when I say I care about you, Jeongin, and I’m not part of whoever you think is giving up on you.” This hurt. He wanted to help the boy, but he didn’t want to do anything Jeongin wouldn’t want. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

“There’s really nothing else,” Jeongin said quietly, “I thought I could trust Seungmin and I can’t and after all these years, I still get upset by it.”

“I’m willing to help you figure out what’s going on with Seungmin, but I can’t if you won’t let me. I don’t want to see you like this for the rest of the year, but my hands are tied. There’s really nothing else I can do if you don’t want me to help you,” Jacob said. 

“It’s fine,” Jeongin said again. He stood up and stepped around the table to hug Jacob. His next words were spoken into his older friend’s robes. “He’ll probably just get hurt if I try to befriend him anyway. It’s better like this.”

Jacob sighed sadly. He wrapped his arms around Jeongin and held him tightly. “It doesn’t have to be,” he said quietly, “you still have Changbin and me. And neither of us are going anywhere.”

“You’ll get hurt too, hyung,” Jeongin mumbled, “it’s not worth it.” As he said it, the door opened and Minho entered the common room, stopping when he saw the two of them. Jeongin sprung away from Jacob and hurried into his room, slamming the door in his haste. 

Minho smirked when Jeongin scrambled to his room. He barely paid any attention to Jacob, opting to head into his own room instead. 

“Minho, I need to talk to you,” Jacob called, following the sixth year to his room.

Minho whipped around, not expecting Jacob to have followed him. “This better be important, I have two essays to work on,” he said flatly. 

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you,” Jacob started, “but you gotta talk to me. I’m not your enemy here, Minho, I just wanna help.”

Minho shook his head. “I appreciate the concern but there’s nothing I need help with. If that changes, I’ll come find you,” he said. He turned around and set two rolls of parchment on his desk before turning to his bookshelf. 

“We both know that’s not true,” Jacob said. He stepped into the sixth year dorm and closed the door. “You don’t just stop caring about one of your best friends out of nowhere, Min. What’s going on? Did something happen at home?”

Minho paused, hand tightening about the textbook he had grabbed. “Jeongin doesn’t want me as a friend anymore and that’s fine. You need to realize that too and you’ll see that there aren’t any problems to fix,” he said. He pulled the book into his arms and reached for another. 

“That isn’t true,” Jacob argued, “Jeongin just wants you to trust him and listen to him. All this fighting isn’t good for any of us.” He sighed and leaned against the door so Minho couldn’t leave. “You never used to be like this. I remember when we were kids, you got so upset when you accidentally hit me with a book once because you were so scared of hurting me. What happened to you?”

Minho set the books down on the desk and turned to look Jacob in the eyes. “I grew up,” he said simply, “but how am I supposed to listen to someone who won’t talk to me? I’ll trust him again when he proves himself trustworthy, but until then I’m sorry, hyung.”

“Apologize,” Jacob said firmly, “for real. I know you’re not sorry for trying to hurt Jisung, but can you at least be sorry for being a dick to Jeongin? You know how much he goes through from everyone else; he won’t say anything but he’s barely able to handle it from you too. I don’t think he’s even really sleeping anymore.” Jacob knew he was guilting Minho a lot, but he couldn’t handle all of this anymore.

“He won’t listen to me!” Minho said, finally getting frustrated, “and if you’re going to make me apologize, you better go through this whole dormitory and make everyone who’s made his life hell apologize too. And Jisung too for that matter.” He felt bad that Jeongin was having such a tough time, but he wasn’t the only reason this was happening. 

“He will listen to you if you aren’t a dick about it,” Jacob said, crossing his arms, “if you give him a genuine apology, he’ll listen. And you know Jeongin doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about him. He just cares about you and what you think. He’s _thirteen_ , Minho, maybe cut him a little slack.”

“Fine, I’ll try, but if he won’t listen this time, that’s it. I don’t have time to play games,” Minho said. Hopefully that was enough to get Jacob off his back.

“All I’m asking is that you try,” Jacob said with a small nod. He stood up straight and opened the door. “Sooner rather than later, please. Good luck on your essays.”

Minho locked the door behind Jacob from where he stood and sat down at his desk. He had absolutely no intentions of apologizing to Jeongin, but that was none of the older boy’s concern. 

With Chan’s help, Seungmin had managed to get the Charms essay finished and turned in on time. He might have even gotten an okay grade on it. At the moment, he was laying on a bench in the courtyard, taking advantage of his lack of homework for the day to actually get some sun.

Minho was happy when he found Seungmin alone in the courtyard. It was much easier to talk to the younger boy when his friends weren’t around. “Just the Hufflepuff I wanted to see,” he said as he walked over, “I have a favor to ask.”

“You,” Seungmin said incredulously, “have a favor to ask _me_. Call St. Mungo’s, Minho’s gone crazy.”

Minho rolled his eyes and ignored Seungmin’s comments. “I need you to keep Jeongin quiet. He keeps talking to the Head Boy and it’s making my life a nightmare. I’m sure you remember what will happen if you don’t do this for me,” he said. 

“How do you expect me to do that when you already made me cut all ties and destroy any sort of friendship we were starting to have?” Seungmin asked. He was not in the mood for Minho’s shit today.

“Because you can convince him that Jacob hyung feels the same way you do. He’ll listen to someone like you. Why would you lie to him when you aren’t friends anymore? I don’t care how exactly you do it, just that he promises to stay quiet,” Minho said. 

Seungmin thought about it for a moment. “Fine,” he said finally, “but I’ll only do it if you promise to leave me alone afterwards. I don’t want to be a part of your warpath of destruction anymore.”

“My warpath of destruction,” Minho echoed, “I quite like the sound of that. And I’ll let you off the hook if you do what I ask. If you blow it and either of us get caught, you’re going to have bigger problems than having to rewrite an essay.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes and laid back down. “I’ll do it on Friday,” he said, “until then, please leave me alone.”

“You’re acting awfully cocky for someone who wouldn’t know a dueling spell if it hit them,” Minho said, narrowing his eyes. He took a small step closer to the Hufflepuff. 

Seungmin opened his eyes again, squinting against the sun. “Maybe,” he said, “but _you_ came to _me_ for a favor. Not an order, not a request. A favor. I won’t even see Jeongin until Friday, and until I see him, you have no reason to continue to bother me.”

“Because when you get caught and they ask you why you did it, you can tell them you were doing me a favor and that will look awfully poorly on you for easily agreeing,” Minho said airily, “maybe I’ll pay your prefect a visit while I wait for Friday. I should really see how his arm is.”

Seungmin narrowed his eyes. “Paying a visit to my prefect is a guaranteed way to run into the Head Boy again, which seems to be the last thing you want,” he said, “it’s fine to admit you lost the upper hand, Minho. I won’t make fun of you.”

Minho couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Lost the upper hand? Oh, Seungmin, you can only wish,” he said, “maybe I’ll take care of your prefect once and for all and save myself the hassle.” He turned around from Seungmin, already mulling over what he would say if he decided to go see Chan.

Seungmin rolled his eyes and laid back down. His fear of Minho had subsided a lot, especially now that the Slytherin was asking for his help. Even with only one hand, he knew Chan could easily best Minho in a duel and that, if it came down to it, Jacob would defend Chan first. He wasn’t worried about his prefect. Besides, he had other things to worry about now, like how he was going to convince Jeongin to ignore Jacob.

Minho decided to walk around the grounds, not wanting to go back to the dungeons yet. Once Friday came all of his problems would disappear. That was of course if Seungmin was successful in keeping Jeongin quiet. He had a backup plan if the boy failed, but he had confidence. Soon enough everything would calm down and everyone would forget everything that happened.


	5. Chapter 5

Friday night came and Jeongin was exhausted. He hoped they could just do this quickly, get it over with, and that he could go back to the castle. He didn’t want to spend any more time with Seungmin than he had to.

Seungmin was a little nervous to talk to Jeongin. He had been thinking all week of what to say to get the younger boy to believe him. He just wanted Minho to leave him alone. 

Jeongin didn’t even acknowledge Seungmin as he grabbed his bucket and started trudging after Jackson. The trip to the clearing felt longer than ever. 

Seungmin walked up to Jeongin slowly. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, but I overheard Chan hyung talking to Jacob hyung the other night and I thought you should know,” he began hesitantly.

“That’s nothing new,” Jeongin said gruffly, “they’re both prefects, I’m sure they talk all the time.”

Seungmin took a deep breath. “They were talking about you,” he said, voice no higher than a whisper. 

“Also typical,” Jeongin said in a monotone, “I’m a troublemaker.”

“Y-You don’t understand,” Seungmin said, “Jacob hyung was saying that he’s only been keeping a close eye on you because he doesn’t trust you.” There. That was all he had and he honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted Jeongin to believe him or not.

That made Jeongin pause. “He what?” he asked quietly, turning to Seungmin. For every step he took toward the older boy, he stepped back until his back was pressed to a tree and Jeongin was in his face, gripping his collar tightly with no regard for his bloody hands. “Tell me exactly what he said,” he demanded. 

Seungmin was on the verge of tears now. “H-He said that he’s been staying close to you because he thinks you’re gonna do something. I-I think he’s worried you’re going to lash out and hurt someone,” he said, voice breaking. 

Jeongin growled and shoved Seungmin pulling away from him. “Thanks for telling me,” he said coldly, “it’s always good to know that you can’t trust anyone.”

Seungmin whimpered quietly. “I really am s-sorry,” he mumbled sincerely. He didn’t care about the blood on his robes or the soreness in his chest from where Jeongin pushed him. All he cared about was Minho leaving him alone so he would never have to lie like this again. 

“Save it,” Jeongin said. He kicked over the bucket of meat scraps and left the clearing, stalking his way back up to the castle. 

Seungmin bit the inside of his cheek so he didn’t start crying. He didn’t want Jackson asking questions unnecessarily. Luckily, the groundskeeper was a bit oblivious so he didn’t catch onto Seungmin’s distress and he was able to sneak back to the Hufflepuff common room without a hassle. 

Chan was in the common room, finishing up some homework, when Seungmin returned. The first thing he noticed was the distressed expression on the boy’s face. The second thing he noticed was the blood on his collar. “Seungminnie,” he said, standing up, “what happened?”

Seungmin froze when he saw Chan. “N-Nothing,” he said hurriedly. With a shake of his head, he turned away and walked quickly across the common room.

Chan grabbed Seungmin’s arm. “You are covered in blood,” he said sternly, “obviously, _something_ happened.”

Seungmin looked down at his robes and cursed himself for forgetting to clean them before coming back to the dormitory. “It’s not mine,” he said truthfully. “Everything’s fine. I promise.” That part wasn’t true in the slightest. 

“Kim Seungmin,” Chan said firmly, “I’m going to take you to get cleaned up and we’re going to talk this out, okay?” He guided Seungmin out of the common room and up to the prefect’s bathroom, where they could talk alone. 

“Hyung, please. No one got hurt, I promise,” Seungmin said quickly. Chan was a lot stronger than he was so it was pointless to fight against him. 

Chan didn’t care. Something was obviously wrong and he wasn’t going to let it get away from him this time. Once they got to the bathroom, he sat Seungmin down on the bench and waited for him to pull off his robes. 

Seungmin pulled off his bloodied robe and pulled his wand out of his pocket. It was good to take any opportunity he could to practice his magic, especially spells he wasn’t very familiar with like the cleaning spell. 

“It’s all over your shirt and your neck too,” Chan said worriedly. Once Seungmin had removed his shirt and tie as well, Chan examined him closely for injuries. There was a giant bruise on his chest that he wasn’t sure he could ask about. 

“I’m fine, hyung. This is old anyway,” Seungmin lied, “can we please just go back? I’m tired and I want to go to bed.” He really was exhausted and the last thing he wanted was Chan asking more questions.

“Seungmin,” Chan sighed, “you were practically in tears when you got back to the common room and this bruise is actively getting bigger. Please tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t,” Seungmin said shakily, “please just let being a prefect go for one minute and trust me when I say I’m okay.” He looked up at Chan with big eyes, silently begging him to let them go back to the common room.

“I’m not being a prefect,” Chan said, softening his gaze, “I’m being your friend, Minnie, and I’m worried about you.”

Seungmin sniffed and wrapped his arms around himself. “Do you promise not to tell the other boys?” he asked quietly. 

“I might have to tell Jacob if it’s something really bad, but I won’t tell Jisung or Felix or Hyunjin,” Chan promised. He sat down next to Seungmin and waited patiently. 

Seungmin was shaking. He had been so careful to make sure his secret was safe for all these years and that was blown to bits, all because of Minho. If he had never had to talk to Jeongin this would never have happened. “It’s not bad,” he began slowly, “I-I…” He couldn’t do it, he burst into tears and hid his head in his hands. “I-I help Jackson f-feed the th-thestrals on Fridays,” he finally choked out. 

Chan was doing his best to not freak out when Seungmin started crying. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said soothingly, before it hit him. “Oh,” he said softly, “you can see them. Minnie, I’m so sorry.”

Seungmin buried his face in his hands. “I-I don’t want anyone t-to know,” he sobbed. 

“It’s okay,” Chan said, rubbing his younger friend’s back, “no one’s gonna think about you any differently, Seungmin-ah. And we won’t ask you to talk about why you can see them either.”

Seungmin turned so he could hide his face in Chan’s neck. “I just don’t want them asking questions,” he said, voice muffled, “you know how nosy they get, especially Jisung.”

“I won’t tell them,” Chan promised, “this is something you get to talk about on your own terms. You still have to tell me why you’re covered in blood with a giant bruise on your chest though.”

Seungmin hid his face more. “One of them spooked and Jeongin pushed me out of the way. The blood was from the meat we feed them,” he half lied.

“Jeongin does the thestrals too?” Chan asked softly. It made sense now why Seungmin had been so defensive of Jeongin in the beginning of the year. “Is he nice to you?”

Seungmin froze. “Y-Yeah he is,” he said quietly, “but we don’t really talk.” 

Chan hummed and stood up. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said quietly, grabbing a small washcloth from a nearby shelf.

Seungmin pulled back and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He was too tired to argue with Chan let alone resist. 

Chan wet the towel in the sink and used it to wipe Seungmin’s face and neck. He gave the boy his own dressing gown for the walk back and bundled his dirty robes under his arm.

“Thanks, hyung,” Seungmin whispered. He followed Chan back to the dorm and was relieved when the common room was empty.

Chan cast a few spells to clean Seungmin’s robes then handed them back and pulled the younger boy into a hug. “I’m here for you, you know,” he said quietly, “if you ever want to talk about it.”

Seungmin hugged Chan back tightly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I ever will be,” he admitted quietly.

“Well, when you are, I’ll be here,” Chan said as he let Seungmin go, “now go get to bed. I’m sure Hyunjin and Felix are wondering where you’ve been.”

Seungmin looked at Chan with big eyes. “What do I tell them when they ask where I was?” he asked. He was so tired of lying, but what was one more time?

Chan thought about it for a moment. “Tell them you were finishing up your last assignment in the library so you don’t have any work to do over the weekend,” he said, “any stuff you do have, I’ll help you do on Sunday night, alright?”

Seungmin’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you so much, hyung,” he said. After bidding Chan a goodnight, he went to his own room, glad that today was finally over. 

Lower down in the castle, Jeongin was ready to go on a rampage. He stormed into the common room and right over to Jacob. Not giving a single care about anyone else in the common room, he pulled back and punched the Head Boy right in the face.

Jacob turned just in time for Jeongin to catch him in the cheek rather than the nose. He turned back around rubbing his jaw, still not quite sure what happened. “J-Jeongin?” he asked incredulously.

“You piece of shit!” Jeongin yelled, “I know your little plan, _Head Boy_ . Keeps your friends close and your enemies closer? Get _fucked_.”

Jacob sighed. “I know you’re still upset about this, but I already told you I have to do this. I’m not doing it to save my relationship with Minho, I’m doing it to keep the school safe,” he said. He opened and closed his mouth, grimacing when it clicked. 

“Oh, but you weren’t talking about him, were you?” Jeongin said, starting to sound insane, “no, you were talking about _me_ . Because Minho can straight up _kill_ someone and somehow _I’m_ still the _crazy one_!” 

Jacob sat up straighter. “Jeongin, what are you talking about?” he asked slowly, “we had this conversation and I told you that’s how I felt about Minho. Why…where did you get that this is about you?” 

“Seungmin heard you and Chan talking; he told me _everything_ ,” Jeongin said, insane smile growing on his face, “it would make your job _so_ much easier, wouldn’t it? Maybe I should just go full-fledged genocidal maniac so you can all be rid of me.”

Jacob’s eyes widened. “Innie, none of that is true,” he said carefully, “I never said _any_ of that to Chan. And you can ask him yourself too. I have no idea where Seungmin got this from.” Seungmin didn’t seem like the type to intentionally lie to Jeongin, especially about something like this.

“You’re a horrible friend, a horrible person, and a horrible Head Boy,” Jeongin seethed, “you’ll _never_ deserve the position you hold. _Never_.” With that, he stormed out of the Slytherin dorms altogether.

Jacob felt his chest tighten. Jeongin wasn’t even wrong. He was letting everyone down, especially his closest friends. It hurt that Jeongin believed the lies Seungmin told him so easily, but there was nothing else Jacob could do. He absentmindedly stood up from the chair to leave the common room, he needed to have a talk with the Headmaster. 

Chan was on his way downstairs to find Jacob when he ran into his boyfriend coming up the stairs. Immediately, he could tell something was wrong. Jacob’s expression was blank, but his eyes were glassy with tears. He didn’t even seem to see Chan until the Hufflepuff was right in front of him, preventing him from moving any further.

“Oh, Chan, I have a quick meeting and then I’ll come find you in your room. It’s probably best if we stay there tonight,” Jacob said quietly.

“At midnight? When you’re crying? I don’t think so,” Chan said firmly. He guided Jacob toward the Hufflepuff common room and thankfully the older boy came quietly.

Jacob let himself be pulled along. It would be better to talk with the Headmaster in the morning when he was more put together anyway. Usually he didn’t care what people thought of him, especially if they were angry with him for taking house points, but for Jeongin to say this was like a knife to the stomach.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Chan asked once they were safely in his room. The way that Jacob absolutely crumpled when he asked the question was terrifying. Chan barely caught his boyfriend before he was sobbing into his neck and it was only then that he noticed the bruise blooming on Jacob’s cheek.

“I can’t do this anymore, Chris. I’m not the right person for this. And I don’t wanna hear it. I don’t _want_ this anymore. I want to enjoy my last year and focus on my NEWTS, not run around pretending I can solve any of the school’s problems,” Jacob choked out.

“Okay, okay,” Chan said agreeably, “if that’s what you want, then I’ll help you talk to the Headmaster. In the morning, when you’ve rested and you’re not so emotional. Do you want to tell me what happened to your face?”

“Thank you,” Jacob said, pulling back from Chan. He let his fingers ghost over his cheek and wasn’t surprised that it had already started to swell. “Jeongin. Seungmin told him he overheard us talking about him and Innie is furious. I have no idea where Seungmin got this from though,” he replied sadly. 

Chan frowned. “He came back tonight covered in blood with a giant bruise on his chest,” he informed his boyfriend, “something’s going on with them and I’d honestly bet anything that Minho’s got something to do with it.”

Jacob’s eyes widened and he sighed sadly. “I’ll tell the Headmaster all of this tomorrow,” he said quietly, “is he doing okay?”

“I think so,” Chan said, “he told me he and Jeongin help feed the thestrals on Friday nights and that the blood was from feeding them meat. I just hope they didn’t have an argument or something. He was _really_ upset.”

“Something had to have happened to set Jeongin off like that, but I just don’t understand why Seungmin told him he overheard us talking about things we never said,” Jacob said. He felt a headache coming on and just wanted to get some sleep.

“I’m telling you, something’s going on with them,” Chan said, worried, “and these are, these are _kids_. They shouldn’t have to be dealing with whatever it is on their own, but if they’re not willing to talk to us, I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s beyond us. That’s why I’m going to bring all of this to the Headmaster and let him decide what to do. They’re probably going to have to get some professors involved, but there aren’t any other options,” Jacob said sadly.

“I know something more is going on with Seungmin,” Chan said, “I just...I thought all these kids trusted me, that they knew they could tell me anything in confidence, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Chris, don’t do this to yourself. You know those boys rely on you so much, it’s just that something's going on that we weren’t meant to fix,” Jacob said gently. 

“But you and I both know that taking it to admin’s just going to make it _worse_ ,” Chan said, “Jeongin’s gonna get more defensive, Seungmin’s gonna pull away more, Minho’s gonna continue down his rabbit hole. I _wish_ Jisung was still my only problem.”

“I’m not letting this ride out its course because I have no idea what’s going to happen. Something needs to be _done_ , Chan, but that something isn’t up to me anymore. We’ve done all we can and if the boys don’t want our help so be it, but they aren’t the only kids at Hogwarts and I’m not going to let the rest of the students suffer because three people can’t get along,” Jacob said. 

Chan sighed. He knew Jacob was right, but he still wished that they could fix it, that they could be successful for once. “Let’s just get some sleep so we can go visit the Headmaster in the morning,” he said with a sigh. 

Jacob nodded and climbed into Chan’s bed. He laid on his back and opened his arms for his boyfriend.

Chan crawled into bed next to Jacob, pushing his boyfriend until he was on his side with Chan plastered to his back. Any other night, he would be happy to fall into the older boy’s arms, but he could tell Jacob needed to be held this time. 

Jacob sighed and pressed himself as close to Chan as he could. A few tears slid down his cheeks and he quickly wiped them away. Tomorrow was going to be a long day and he just hoped he was able to fall asleep. 

Felix had long since fallen asleep, but Hyunjin was awake, waiting for Seungmin. Something was wrong with his best friend, he just knew it, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. When Seungmin finally returned, Hyunjin latched on, pulling him into bed and not letting him up. 

Seungmin grunted quietly when he was dragged into Hyunjin’s bed. He tried to pull himself away from his friend, but he wasn’t strong enough. “Please, let go of me. I’m exhausted and I just want to go to sleep,” he said, on the verge of tears again. 

“Sleep here,” Hyunjin said, snaking his way around Seungmin’s limbs. He missed his best friend. 

Seungmin sighed in defeat. “Fine,” he agreed, much too tired to argue. He laid down as comfortably as he could with Hyunjin wrapped around him and closed his eyes. 

Hyunjin waited a few minutes before dropping the bomb. “Is everything okay, Minnie?” he asked in a whisper, “you’re really distant lately.”

Seungmin stiffened. He should have known Hyunjin was going to ask questions. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied tiredly.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” Hyunjin asked tentatively. 

Seungmin paused for a moment. “If it was something you could help me with,” he said finally.

Hyunjin sighed. “Can I help with whatever made you cry tonight?” he asked. He absently ran a finger over Seungmin’s still splotchy cheek.

“No,” Seungmin said quickly. He took a deep breath and softened his tone. “No one can.”

“Would it help to talk about it?” Hyunjin asked softly, “I just wanna help, Minnie.”

“Talking about it is going to make everything worse,” Seungmin said sadly, “I know you want to help, but what I really need right now is to be left alone so I can sleep. I’m sorry.”

“I miss you,” Hyunjin admitted after a few minutes of quiet. “You’re my best friend, Minnie, and it feels like you’re disappearing right under my nose.”

“Everything’s just really different this year,” Seungmin said, “I miss you too and I’m really sorry I haven’t been around as much.” Now that he was done with Minho, he hopefully could get his life back.

“I wish you would talk to me,” Hyunjin mumbled selfishly. He just wanted his best friend back.

“You have no idea how much I want to, but I can’t, Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin said sadly, “I can’t talk to anyone.” At this point if he tried to tell anyone what happened with Minho, everything would blow up in his face.

“Is someone threatening you?” Hyunjin asked, sitting up a little. “It’s one of those fucking Slytherins, isn’t it? Yang, is it Yang?”

“No, no, Jeongin’s never threatened me,” Seungmin said quickly, “we don’t even talk.” Hyunjin was dangerously close to figuring out what was going on and Seungmin was terrified. If he found out, he would get hurt too and Seungmin would never be able to live with himself. 

“Is it that maniac Lee then?” Hyunjin asked seriously, “Seungmin, please, just tell me. I promise I won’t tell Chan. We’ll fix it on our own, okay?”

“Hyunjin, stop it,” Seungmin said firmly, “it’s just me, okay? Everything’s fine and I promise I’ll be alright. Can we please go to sleep now?” He had never been this scared in his life and he knew Hyunjin would be able to feel him shaking. 

“Seungmin, look at you,” Hyunjin said, “you’re shaking like a leaf! Please, stop hiding things from me.”

Seungmin flinched and bit his lip. “You don’t understand. People will get hurt and it’ll be all my fault,” he said voice thick, “I’d never be able to live with myself,” he said quietly. He had already hurt Jeongin and that was one person too many.

“I just want to protect you,” Hyunjin said gently, “I’m not gonna tell Chan or Jacob, I won’t approach him or start a fight. I just want to be able to keep you safe from whoever’s bothering you. And if he wants to fight me, so be it. I’ll win.”

“I don’t need your protection. I don’t _want_ your protection,” Seungmin said as firmly as he could manage, “I’m asking you, as my best friend, to let this go and forget about it.”

“I can’t just _do_ that!” Hyunjin said incredulously, “someone is hurting you, Seungmin! You just admitted that to me!”

“I’m done talking about this. So either we go in circles for the rest of the night or we get some sleep. Which one do you want?” Seungmin asked. He was exhausted and terrified and just wanted to get some sleep. Maybe this was all just a horrible nightmare, but that was wishful thinking.

“Fine,” Hyunjin said, rolling over away from Seungmin, “have it your way.”

“Just please don’t say anything to Chan. I don’t want to talk to him either,” Seungmin begged. He got up and all but collapsed in his own bed. 

“Good night, Seungmin” Hyunjin said coldly. He had made the offer to keep it between them, but if Seungmin wasn’t going to take it, then he had to bring this to Chan. Seungmin might hate him for it, but he couldn’t stand to see his best friend hurt.

Seungmin frowned, but kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t wait to have this exact conversation with Chan tomorrow. At least he could brush it off as not wanting to talk about the thestrals and Chan would believe him. Since when was he so quick to lie to people?

Hyunjin got up bright and early the next morning to talk to Chan before Seungmin was awake. Jacob was still asleep in Chan’s bed, so they went into the common room to talk. “Seungmin’s being threatened,” Hyunjin told him, “I think by Lee Minho.”

When Jacob woke up, Chan was nowhere to be found. He got out of bed slowly and got dressed. As he walked towards the door, he could hear Chan’s voice from the common room. He was glad his boyfriend didn’t go far, but that changed when he walked out of the bedroom and over to the couch he was sitting on with Hyunjin. “What’s going on?” he asked when he saw both of their expressions. 

“I tried to talk to Seungmin when he came back last night, because he’s my best friend and he’d clearly been crying,” Hyunjin explained, “but he wouldn’t talk to me. He said if he told me anything, people could get hurt and it would be his fault. I asked him if it was Jeongin, he said no, but when I asked about Minho, he got really defensive and shut down.”

“I’m going to talk to the Headmaster right now. You two make sure Seungmin doesn’t go anywhere alone today,” Jacob said. He had no idea what Minho would want with Seungmin, but someone had to put a stop to this before it got any worse.

Chan nodded in agreement. In this situation, Jacob had the authority. “He’s still asleep I think, but I’ll make sure that he stays here doing homework today or something,” he said.

Jacob nodded and ducked into the bedroom to grab his wand. With one last look over his shoulder, he left the dormitory and headed straight to the headmasters office. He whispered the password and stepped into the stairwell before it had even fully revealed itself. He knew he wasn’t supposed to barge in unannounced but this was important and the threat of losing his position would be useless.

Sungjin had an inkling that he would be receiving a visit from Head Boy Jacob Bae and he invited the boy into his office before he could even knock. “This is about Yang Jeongin, yes?” he said once the boy had sat down.

“Partially,” Jacob replied, “this is mostly about Lee Minho. I have reason to suspect he is threatening another student, but I don’t have any concrete proof yet.”

“And why do you suspect that?” Sungjin set aside the book in front of him, focusing all of his attention on the Head Boy.

“Kim Seungmin was distressed about something last night and when asked, told another student that if he said anything people would get hurt. He denied it being Yang Jeongin but got defensive when Lee Minho was mentioned. He hasn’t confided in any prefects either,” Jacob replied.

Sungjin hummed contemplatively. “Poor child,” he murmured to himself. “What course of action would you take, Mr. Bae?”

“Well before any action can be taken, this suspicion has to be confirmed or denied, but of course Minho would never admit to something like this and Seungmin has continually refused to speak to anyone about the subject, which means we probably won’t hear what is happening from him. That’s why I’m bringing this to you. This is something that is above me to handle,” Jacob said slowly.

“You know these boys much closer than I ever will,” Sungjin said gently, “I’m not asking you to make a decision. I’m asking how you, as someone who knows them, would proceed in this case.”

“I don’t know Seungmin nearly as well as Bang Chan does, but I do know Minho. And I know that if he is confronted he will become defensive and lash out and follow through with whatever threat he is making. If he is provoked in any way, the consequences will be severe and I don’t particularly want to find those out. This is how I would proceed. I’ve tried everything I can and now I would rather a professor, who is much more capable, confront Minho and put an end to this,” Jacob said. 

“Our initial protocol would be to question both of them with Veritaserum,” Sungjin said seriously, “given that detention does not seem to be an effective punishment for Mr. Lee, he would likely be expelled if these allegations are found to be true. If there is another course that we can take, something more palatable to the students and to the board, I would prefer it.”

“I don’t want Minho expelled,” Jacob said truthfully, “he was such a good kid and an even better friend when he first came here. I really don’t know what happened or how to help him anymore.” He had hoped bringing this all to the Headmaster would have solved his problems, but it looked like he was stuck.

“Very well,” Sungjin said with a sigh, “I will meet with them both and see what I can do. Thank you, Mr. Bae. You may be dismissed. Please send Mr. Lee in my direction if you see him.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jacob said, standing up. “Oh, before I go, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. I...um…I don’t think I’m fit to be Head Boy and I wanted to step down and give the position to someone who can do much better things for Hogwarts than I can.”

“I have no one better for the job, Mr. Bae,” Sungjin said, looking at the boy over his glasses, “let’s meet about this again once this is all handled, yes?”

Jacob sighed quietly. “Yes, sir. Thank you for your help and I’ll be sure to send Lee to see you,” he said. He took his leave and immediately headed to the Slytherin common room. This conversation was not going to go well.

Sungjin sighed and rubbed his head as Jacob left his office. This was going to be a long day. He got up and started preparing some tea.


	6. Chapter 6

Minho was organizing his room from the comforts of his bed. He waved his hand lazily, watching his books fly back to their proper places on his shelf. He didn’t have much to do so this was how he spent most of his free time. 

Jacob didn’t bother knocking and simply entered the sixth year dorm. “Minho,” he said dully, “The Headmaster wants to see you.”

Minho jumped when Jacob suddenly entered the room. His eyebrows raised when he registered what the Head Boy said. “Why?” he asked simply. 

“He wants to talk to you about Kim Seungmin,” Jacob said, crossing his arms, “I don’t know what about though. That’s all he told me.”

“What the hell would I know about Kim Seungmin?” Minho asked, “he’d be better off talking to Chan or any of the other Hufflepuff prefects.”

“I don’t know, Minho, he just asked me to escort you up,” Jacob said with a sigh, “can you be not a dick for the half hour it’ll take to meet with him?”

Minho waved his wand and let his History of Magic book crash to the floor. “Why didn’t you tell him I don’t know Seungmin?” he asked as he sat up. He had absolutely no desire to talk to the Headmaster, for obvious reasons, but he didn’t know if he could get out of it. 

“He’s the Headmaster, I can’t just tell him no,” Jacob argued, “if it was up to me, you wouldn’t have to do anything, but it’s not.”

Minho rolled his eyes. “Can you do _anything_ as Head Boy other than waste people’s time?” he asked. He stood up and strode over to Jacob. “You know there would be better people to talk to about Seungmin, but somehow this has been put on me. There’s no way the Headmaster summoned you simply to escort me up to him to talk. He could have just summoned me directly. So what actually happened?” He was mere inches away from Jacob now. 

“He didn’t summon me,” Jacob lied, “I simply saw him while I was making rounds earlier and he asked me to bring you to him if I saw him. It obviously isn’t a big deal if he didn’t ask for you immediately, so just go and get it over with please.”

“The Headmaster doesn’t waste time on things that aren’t big deals. That’s what he has you for,” Minho said, “I know nothing about Kim Seungmin and I have nothing to say to the Headmaster about him. So when you go back you can tell him that.” 

“I have no reason to go to his office,” Jacob said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, “I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to just walk up to his office and tell him you don’t know anything. If you didn’t insist on being so stubborn, you’d probably already be there and back by now.”

“Because, and I’m going to say this slowly since you haven’t heard it the first few times, it’s a waste of time. You could have saved us both the hassle by telling him. But this isn’t that easy. We both know he’s not going to let me walk in and walk out because the Headmaster is too busy for trivial nonsense,” Minho said angrily, “so what does he actually want to talk to me about?”

“Minho, I will take you there by force if I have to,” Jacob said with a heavy sigh, “I am not risking losing my badge for you.”

“Relax, I’ll go on my own,” Minho said, “and I know the way there so you can go do whatever other errands the Headmaster sent you on.” He pushed past Jacob and left the room. 

“You’re a flight risk, I have to escort you,” Jacob said, knowing he couldn’t risk letting Minho run away from this. 

Minho sighed angrily. “A flight risk,” he scoffed, “you can tell me you don’t trust me you know.” He kept walking, not bothering to turn around and wait for Jacob. 

“Can you blame me?” Jacob asked. He followed Minho closely, hand on his wand just in case. 

“Not at all,” Minho said breezily, “I’d almost be disappointed in you if you still trusted me.” He sighed tiredly as they approached the Headmaster’s office. 

Jacob tapped the statue, mumbling the password, and motioned for Minho to step on the emerging stairs. “Have fun,” he said listlessly.

“I most certainly won’t,” Minho grumbled. He ascended the stairs and knocked on the door. This was going to be a long meeting and he already had a headache. 

“Enter,” Sungjin called, resuming his seat at his desk. When Minho entered, he motioned for the boy to sit and waved his wand to set a cup of tea in front of him. 

Minho sat down in the chair and looked curiously around the office. He had never been in here before and he was amazed by the number of oddities he had never seen before littered around the office. After a moment he realized why he was here and turned back to the Headmaster. “Jacob hyung told me that you wanted to ask me about Kim Seungmin, but unfortunately I don’t know anything about him.”

“Have a drink with me, Mr. Lee,” Sungjin said. He made a show of raising his own cup to his mouth and taking a sip.

Minho looked down at the cup and back up at the Headmaster. He didn’t want to drink it. In any other circumstance he would refuse, but here he was well and truly trapped. Slowly, he reached for the cup and raised it to his lips.

Sungjin waited for Minho to take a sip and set the cup back down before speaking. “How are your studies going this semester?” he inquired kindly. 

“Well. I’ve had a lot of time to focus on my classes,” Minho replied slowly. He was not here for small talk and was already a little frustrated. 

“I suppose you have,” Sungjin mused, “and you are still not on speaking terms with the young Mr. Yang, I assume?”

Minho tried to keep his face neutral, but he couldn’t help the frown that slipped onto his lips. “Yes, I haven’t spoken to him in a few weeks,” Minho replied. This was supposed to be about Seungmin, why was he asking about Jeongin? 

Sungjin hummed. He was simply making small talk, trying to give the Veritaserum enough time to settle in. “Do you know why I asked you here today?”

“Yes, you wanted to ask me about Kim Seungmin,” Minho replied. Finally, he was going to be able to get out of here. 

“Why do you think I’m asking you about Seungmin?” Sungjin asked patiently. Hopefully, the answer to this should determine whether they were ready to continue or not. 

“I...I’m not entirely sure,” Minho said slowly. He wished he could claim he had no idea, but it was starting to dawn on him that Seungmin might have told someone. But that didn’t make sense. Seungmin had kept so quiet up until this point. 

“How often do you speak to Kim Seungmin?” Sungjin asked, tilting his head. Given the way Minho had entered the room, any answer other than “never” would be indication enough for him.

“Once a week,” Minho said. He was starting to get nervous now. He still barely knew Seungmin, but he was going to dig himself a hole he couldn’t climb out of if he wasn’t careful. 

“Someone came to me earlier and told me that they thought you were threatening Kim Seungmin,” Sungjin said finally, “is this true?”

Minho opened his mouth to deny the claim, but he couldn’t form the words. Try as he might he couldn’t properly form the lie he had prepared. Since when did lying become so difficult? Out of the corner of his eye, Minho caught sight of the tea cup and it hit him. He looked back up at the Headmaster with wide eyes. He was caught. 

“It would be in your best interest to answer my question, Mr. Lee,” Sungjin said, “have you been threatening Kim Seungmin?”

Minho’s hands gripped the arms of the chair and he dropped his head. “Y-Yes, sir,” he admitted, “but this was never about him.” 

“What is it about then?” Sungjin asked, folding his hands and waiting politely. 

“Yang Jeongin. He’s a traitor and he needed to know what it feels like to have people you thought you could trust turn their back on you,” Minho replied. 

“Yang Jeongin has had more people turn their back on him than you’ve probably ever met in your lifetime,” Sungjin said sternly, “Do you understand that you are going to have to face a punishment for this?”

Minho picked his head up and stared at the Headmaster. “Am I finally getting expelled?” he asked bravely.

“That depends,” the Headmaster said calmly, “what would it take for you to put an end to this behavior, short of expulsion?”

Minho hadn’t thought about this before. He never expected to get caught so he hadn’t really thought of a way to get out of trouble. “I don’t know,” he admitted truthfully. The only person he was truly angry with was Jeongin, but the boy would find out everything was a lie soon enough and he didn’t talk to any people Minho hadn’t already used. By pure default, there was nothing more he could do anyway.

“I would like to see you apologize to Seungmin,” Sungjin said, “your suspension from the Slytherin Quidditch team will be extended to the full year. You will also be banned from all Hogsmeade trips for the remainder of the year. If I catch any wind of this behavior continuing, there will be nothing I can do to prevent you from being expelled. Do I make myself clear?”

“No, I can’t lose Quidditch! It’s the only thing I have left. I’ll do anything else, but please don’t extend my suspension. I’ll help Jackson with the thestrals for the rest of the semester, anything really,” Minho begged. He was also absolutely dreading apologizing to Seungmin but that he could worry about later. 

“Tack Jeongin onto your apology list and I’ll consider allowing you to play again after the holiday break,” Sungjin said, raising his eyebrows.

Minho froze. He wasn’t particularly sorry, but he could make up something good if it would get him back on the team, but was it worth it? The team had long since replaced his position and it would be difficult to go back. Maybe he should just give up Quidditch. “I’ll think about it,” he said quietly.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Sungjin said, “you can either take the offer now, or deal with the original punishment. That offer will no longer exist once you leave this office.”

Minho took a deep breath. “I’ll take the original punishment,” he said after a moment. He could make it through the year without Quidditch. 

Sungjin clicked his tongue, disappointed that Minho had let his temporary hatred of Jeongin overtake his lifelong love of Quidditch. “Alright, Mr. Lee,” he said, “you understand that this means being caught on the pitch at all except as a spectator at a game will result in additional punishment, yes?”

Minho nodded. “I understand, sir,” he said. He had no reason to go anywhere near the pitch anymore so he wasn’t worried.

“Alright. You’re dismissed then,” Sungjin said, “and I will know if you don’t apologize to Seungmin. These walls have ears.”

Minho nodded again and stood up. At least he didn’t have a time frame to apologize in. He left the office without a glance over his shoulder and descended the stairs. Hopefully Jacob would let him walk back to the common room on his own. 

Jeongin had spent the time since his argument with Jacob holed up in the Owlery. He’d originally gone to Changbin, who had kicked him out of Ravenclaw Tower when informed about the fight. At least in the Owlery, he could hide in the shadows and no one could see him cry. Now though, he was heading back to the Slytherin common room, hoping to duck in and out quickly for a shower and change of clothes.

Minho was relieved that Jacob was gone when he left the office but that relief didn’t last long when he ran into Jeongin on his way back to the dormitory. He glared at the younger boy, but minded his own business. It hit him in that moment how glad he was that he didn’t have to apologize to Jeongin.

Jeongin trudged along the hallway, hair still dripping near his ears. He didn’t even notice anyone else there until he ran right into Minho. “Sorry,” he mumbled. 

Minho huffed quietly. He didn’t have the energy to be angry. He stepped around Jeongin and headed toward his room. 

“Hyung?” Jeongin said, turning around, “I really am sorry, for everything.” He didn’t even care anymore; he just wanted this over. He wanted his friends back.

It took Minho a moment to realize that Jeongin was talking to him. He turned back around and stared at the younger boy, frowning when he noticed how red his eyes were. “Don’t you think it’s a little too late for this?” he asked tiredly.

Jeongin sniffled, wiping his eyes surreptitiously. “I-I guess,” he mumbled. He turned away to head back to the Owlery.

Minho took a deep breath. “I don’t hate you,” he said. He didn’t particularly expect Jeongin to believe him, but he had to say it. 

Jeongin stopped in his tracks and turned back around, looking at Minho warily. “Why do you act like you do then?” he asked slowly. 

“Because I want you to know what it feels like to have everyone you trust turn their back on you,” Minho said before he could stop himself. His eyes widened as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He never meant to admit this to Jeongin. 

Jeongin blinked, not having expected an honest answer. “That’s the only thing I felt during my entire childhood,” he said quietly, “but that’s fine, if you think thirteen years wasn’t enough.” At this point, he was just done fighting. 

Minho narrowed his eyes, but he couldn’t find it in himself to snap at Jeongin. He really just wanted this conversation to be over. “I’m not responsible for whatever your family has done. As far as I’m concerned the only things that matter here are friends,” he said, “you’re too smart to not know why I did what I did, but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over and we both have our own lives to focus on now.”

“I don’t hate you either,” Jeongin said tentatively, “I mean, I still don’t really approve of what you did, but I understand why you did it.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Minho said simply. He took one last look at Jeongin before turning around. “If Jacob hyung asks for me, don’t tell him I’m here.”

“Jacob hyung won’t talk to me,” Jeongin said quietly, “but I don’t wanna talk to him anyway. He thinks I’m dangerous and I’m tired of people thinking that about me.”

Minho stopped. The wheels slowly turned and he realized that this must be Seungmin’s doing. The boy took his job rather seriously, despite still ratting him out. Try as he might he couldn’t keep up the lie any longer, which didn’t matter anyway. “Jacob hyung is the last person in this house that thinks you’re dangerous,” he said. 

Jeongin shook his head. “Seungmin told me that he heard Jacob and Chan talking about how they were only being nice to me so they could make sure I didn’t do anything,” he said in a small voice, “I don’t care about Chan, but Jacob...that hurts.”

Minho turned back around, a sad smile on his face. “Seungmin told you those things because I asked him to lie to you about Jacob hyung. I didn’t tell him exactly what to say, but it looks like he picked something pretty convincing,” he said. 

Jeongin looked at Minho, shock painting itself across his face. “Why would you do that?” he asked in a broken voice. 

“I already told you. I wanted you to know what it felt like to have the trust you had in someone smashed to pieces. I wanted you to have no one to turn to and by the sound of it, it worked. For the time being at least,” Minho explained. 

“You’re a psychopath,” Jeongin said, voice barely more than a whisper, “me not blindly agreeing with your actions is nowhere near you destroying every friendship I have in this building, Minho! What the _fuck_?”

“Now we both lost everything. Funny how some things work out like that, hm? And you can go running back to Jacob hyung, but there’s nothing else he can do about it,” Minho said calmly, “now, are you _sure_ you don’t hate me?” 

“It isn’t _my_ fault that you lost everything though,” Jeongin said, “you made that choice on your own without talking to me. And if you really did it because you _cared_ about me, you would be apologetic, not defensive.” He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t hate you. I’m just really sad for you.”

“I don’t want your sympathy,” Minho snapped, “I want you to move on without me and keep Jacob hyung as far away from me as possible.” He took a few steps back from Jeongin.

“You don’t have my sympathy,” Jeongin said, “you have my pity. It must take a lot of self hatred to be this way.”

Minho frowned. “Why do you care? We could have been done with this conversation ages ago and never have to worry about each other again, but no, we’re still here. Why?” he asked, starting to get annoyed.

“Because I still care about you!” Jeongin said, “you’re one of my best friends, one of the only friends I’ve _ever had_ , and I don’t believe that you really think those things! I think you’re sixteen and lashing out and I’m worried about you, okay?”

Minho’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect Jeongin to still care about him after everything and if he was being honest, he was still a little skeptical. “Just don’t bring your worry to Jacob hyung,” he requested, “I don’t want him on my ass anymore.”

“I’m not just gonna give up on you,” Jeongin said quietly. He knew the real Minho was in there somewhere and he would be damned if he didn’t save him from himself. 

“I would be careful not to cross any lines. I can ruin the rest of your life just as easily as I ruined your friendships. Why don’t you save us both the trouble and let this go?” Minho said. He could already feel the headache that was going to come from the inevitable conversation he would have with Jacob.

“The rest of my life is already ruined, Minho, what’s left?” Jeongin said miserably, “it isn’t even a life anymore if there’s no one to share it with.”

“Why don’t you go find Seungmin and talk to him? I’m sure that conversation will end a lot better than this one,” Minho said tiredly. He turned back around and walked across the common room with no intention of continuing this conversation further.

Jeongin watched Minho walk away from him with a sad sigh. Why did this all have to happen? Why couldn’t his life just be normal?

Minho was grateful that Jeongin left him alone after that. He was supposed to be going to the library to work on his homework, but he was much too exhausted to do anything but lay down, which was exactly what he did after he charmed the door to only allow his roommates to enter. 

Jeongin didn’t particularly want to return to the Owlery, but he also didn’t want to be anywhere near Slytherin House, so he set out to find a quiet alcove where he could wallow in self pity. 

Seungmin was walking down the corridor from his Transfiguration classroom. He didn’t particularly have a destination and was just content to wander the castle. After he took a turn, he saw Jeongin sitting in an alcove by himself. Seungmin had never seen the younger boy look so miserable before and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He put his head down and picked up his pace.

Jeongin heard footsteps and looked up to find Seungmin walking past him. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the boy’s sleeve.

Seungmin jumped when Jeongin grabbed his arm. He whipped around and stared at the younger boy with wide eyes, not sure what to expect.

“Minho told me what he made you do,” Jeongin said quietly, “I’m really sorry he did that to you.”

Seungmin froze. Minho admitted what he had done? Did that mean he was free from whatever the older boy wanted? Or did that mean that the Slytherin was going to come after him for not being careful enough? He didn’t know what to think or what even to do. “I’m so sorry,” he choked out through the lump in this throat. 

“It’s okay,” Jeongin said softly, “I know he’s intimidating. I’m not mad at you.”

“Y-You’re not?” Seungmin asked incredulously, “I should have said no to him, and I didn’t. I should never have hurt you and I really am so sorry.” 

“I’m not mad,” Jeongin said with a shrug, “I’m mad at _him_ , because it was his fault, but I’m not mad at you, Seungmin.”

Seungmin sniffed and turned his head down. “He didn’t tell me to say those things about Chan hyung and Jacob hyung. That was all me,” he admitted quietly. He was grateful that Jeongin wasn’t angry, but that didn’t make him feel any less guilty. 

“And they were very close to what Jacob actually did say about Minho,” Jeongin acknowledged, “but you did what you had to do, I assume to protect someone. That’s very Slytherin of you.”

Seungmin nodded. “He threatened to hurt Chan hyung worse,” he said, voice wavering, “I’m so sorry. If I just told someone, none of this would have happened.”

Jeongin nodded. “A very Slytherin approach,” he said again, “authority can’t always be trusted.”

Seungmin sighed sadly. “I really don’t understand how you aren’t angry with me. I’m the one who could have stopped this and I didn’t,” he said. 

“You really couldn’t have,” Jeongin said, “Minho would have found another way to make me miserable.”

“He didn’t seem like he would ever be like this. Even just when we were all in the carriage together on the first day. I wonder what happened,” Seungmin said, almost to himself.

“I have faith,” Jeongin said, “he’ll come around eventually. But hey, do you know where Jacob is? I need to apologize for punching him in the face.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “N-No I haven’t seen him,” he said. He should probably talk to Jacob too next time he came to the Hufflepuff dormitory.

Jeongin glanced at his watch. It was nearly time for dinner, but he didn’t want to be around anyone from Slytherin House at the moment. He guessed he would starve instead. 

“Um, if you ever want to get away from Minho, you’re more than welcome to come to the Hufflepuff dorm. Jisung and Hyunjin don’t spend a ton of time in the room and if they are there they’re with Chan hyung. I know they’re a lot, but it might be better than being with Minho,” Seungmin offered carefully.

Jeongin couldn’t fight the small smile. “Thanks, Seungmin,” he said quietly, “but I think I’m okay. I don’t want to step on any more toes.”

Seungmin nodded. “I understand,” he said quietly, “I should, uh, probably get going and leave you to…” He trailed off not really sure what Jeongin was doing before he was stopped. 

“Cry in the corner, yeah,” Jeongin joked, “oh my god, you were probably busy, I shouldn’t have stopped you.”

“No, no, I was just wandering,” Seungmin assured, “I’m glad you stopped me. I’ve owed you an apology for a long time.”

Jeongin sighed and pulled his legs up so he was curled into a ball. A little voice in his head told him to ask Seungmin if he could join him for dinner, but the larger voice told him to steer clear. 

“Are you sure you want to stay here? I’d hate to leave you sitting here alone. I can imagine you’ve been on your own enough these past few weeks,” Seungmin said quietly.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Jeongin said with a sigh, “I’m used to it by now.” He didn’t want Seungmin to feel obligated to spend time with him.

Seungmin frowned. “That’s not fair at all,” he paused for a moment, “Minho may have made me lie to you, but he never changed my opinion of you. I know you aren’t dangerous and I’m not scared of you like my friends are. I know we weren’t very close even to begin with, but I still don’t want to see you alone because some people refuse to try and understand.”

“It’s fine, Seungmin, really,” Jeongin said, “no offense, but I’d rather spend my time with someone who genuinely cares about me than someone who feels like they need to out of guilt.”

Seungmin took a step back. That stung a little, but he didn’t blame Jeongin. Even though he did feel incredibly guilty, he still wanted to try and fix it. Maybe he could tell Chan to talk to Jacob about helping Jeongin. “Yeah, I get it,” he said quietly.

“Not that I have anything against you,” Jeongin said hurriedly, “I don’t. But I’ve had a lot of people fuck me over recently and I’d rather just avoid it altogether. No one new.”

“No, no, I understand. You don’t owe me an explanation,” Seungmin said, “if you need anything you know where to find me.”

“Thanks,” Jeongin said quietly, “it means a lot.”

Seungmin nodded. “I’ll see you on Friday,” he said. He hesitantly turned around, still not sure how he felt about leaving Jeongin alone.

“Yeah,” Jeongin said quietly, “see you Friday.” Once Seungmin was gone, he got up with a sigh and headed in the direction of the Slytherin common room, searching for Jacob.

Jacob was teaching a small group of fifth years some new Charms in the common room. He would much rather them practice with some sort of supervision should something not go quite right.

Jeongin stepped into the common room and spotted Jacob in the corner with some fifth years, practicing some spellwork. “Hey, hyung?” he asked quietly as he edged closer to the group, “can we talk?”

Jacob was a little apprehensive when Jeongin approached, but he wasn’t going to refuse to speak to the boy. “Sure, let’s go into my room,” he said. He gave the fifth years some instructions before guiding Jeongin into his room for some privacy.

Once they were alone, Jeongin took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry for punching you,” he said meekly, “Seungmin and Minho told me what was really going on and you didn’t deserve that at all.”

This was not at all what Jacob was expecting Jeongin to begin this conversation with. It took a moment to collect his thoughts before responding. “Thank you for apologizing, Innie, but I don’t blame you for being upset,” he said, “I presume they told you that the conversation Seungmin claimed to have heard never happened?”

“Yeah, Minho has been threatening him for the last couple of weeks,” Jeongin said, “he threatened to hurt Chan if Seungmin didn’t listen.”

Jacob didn’t get legitimately angry very often, but he didn’t take threats like this lightly, especially when it came to Chan. “Thank you for telling me. What else did either of them tell you?” he asked. 

“Nothing,” Jeongin said, “just that everything about you hating me wasn’t true.”

Jacob’s expression softened. “It’s not. I care about you a lot, Innie, and I just want you to be happy,” he said. He took a small step toward the younger boy and opened his arms. “Come here, you look like you’ve had a long day.”

Jeongin hugged Jacob tightly. It took all of his self control to not burst into tears on the spot. He had missed this greatly. 

Jacob wrapped his arms around Jeongin and held the boy against himself. “No matter what anyone says or does, you’ll always have me, okay? I know everything’s harder than usual right now, but we’ll get there. I promise,” he whispered.

“Thanks, dad,” Jeongin said, voice muffled by Jacob’s robes. Jacob really was the closest thing to a parental figure that he had.

Jacob smiled softly. “Do you want to stay with me tonight?” he asked. 

“No, I’m sure you want to stay with Chan, right?” Jeongin said, pulling away a bit to speak clearly.

“He’d understand. And my priority right now is you,” Jacob explained, “I would also prefer if he stayed in the Hufflepuff dormitory tonight in case Seungmin needs someone.”

“Only if you’re sure,” Jeongin said tentatively. As he said it, his stomach growled, begging for food.

“I’m positive, but before we worry about that we need to get you to the Great Hall to get some dinner before all the food disappears,” Jacob said. He wouldn’t mind taking a walk down to the kitchens, but he tried to avoid bothering the house elves if he could help it.

“No, please, I don’t want to face everyone else yet,” Jeongin begged, “especially Minho. He was being really weird earlier.”

“He was being weird?” Jacob shook his head, “I’ll talk to him later. Wait here and I’ll go get you some food.” He regretfully let go of Jeongin.

“Thanks, hyung.” Jeongin went down to his own dormitory to grab his books and head back up to Jacob’s room. He also grabbed his pajamas so he wouldn’t have to face his roommates again.

Jacob concluded what he was working on with the fifth years and promised he would teach them more the following day. After that he made his way to the Great Hall quickly. A couple of the professors stopped talking and watched him when he entered but he didn’t pay much attention to them. He filled one plate for Jeongin and one for himself and immediately left to go back down to the dungeons. 

Jeongin sat on the end of Jacob’s bed while he waited for his older friend. He hoped that this meant the end of him being harassed, the end of Minho torturing him, and the start of good things finally coming his way.

They ate dinner in silence and Jacob was even able to get a small smile out of Jeongin at one point. The boy had been through so much, especially this year, and he hoped everything would start getting better for him. He was glad to have Jeongin back, he had missed the boy tremendously these past few weeks.

Jeongin was glad that he had been able to spend some time with Jacob, that the older boy was still willing to be his friend after everything. There was someone else that he needed to apologize to though, so Sunday morning found him waiting outside of Ravenclaw Tower.

Changbin was not expecting Jeongin of all people to be waiting outside of Ravenclaw Tower for him when he was leaving to get breakfast. “Hi, Jeongin,” he greeted. He wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the boy’s visit. 

“Hyung, I want to apologize,” Jeongin said bravely, “I haven’t been very nice to you lately.”

Changbin tilted his head. “You wanted to apologize to _me_?” he asked, “does this mean you finally talked to Jacob hyung?”

“Yeah, I was with him all of last night,” Jeongin said, “and Seungmin.”

Changbin raised his eyebrows. “And?” he asked. He hoped this meant that everything between them was fixed. He was sick of being the person everyone came to when they were mad about something.

“Everything’s fine now,” Jeongin said, “Minho was forcing Seungmin to be mean to me. That’s why he told me Jacob didn’t like me, because Minho made him.”

“Oh,” Changbin said, a little bit surprised. That didn’t sound like something Minho would do at all, but he had been acting weird ever since the first Quidditch game. “Well I’m glad everything’s okay.”

“I should’ve been nicer to you, and listened to you more,” Jeongin said, “can you forgive me?”

Changbin paused for a moment before nodding slowly. He was skeptical that something like this wouldn’t happen again, but he did believe that Jeongin was truly sorry. “I can forgive you,” he said after a moment. 

Jeongin could feel himself slump. “Thank you, hyung,” he said. He knew he didn’t deserve Changbin’s forgiveness, but he would make up for it.

Changbin nodded again. “Let’s go get some food, yeah? I’m starving and I have to get to the library,” he said. 

Jeongin easily agreed, knowing he wasn’t really in a position to say no. Besides, at this point, he had almost everything back. Everything except Minho.

“What are you going to do about Minho?” Changbin asked when they were sitting in the Great Hall. He had brought Jeongin over to the Ravenclaw table, knowing the boy was still having problems with the rest of his house. 

“Nothing,” Jeongin said as he sat down, “there’s nothing I _can_ do. He can’t threaten Jacob, and I know about Seungmin now.”

Changbin nodded. “Just be careful. I know he was a really great friend and all but I’d hate to see anything like this happen again,” he said. 

“He’s gone mad,” Jeongin said seriously as he grabbed a bagel, “I’m done trying.”

“I think that's for the best. If anything, let Jacob handle it,” Changbin agreed. 

“I will,” Jeongin promised, “I just want to resolve all of this. I miss him.”

“I know you do and I’m really sorry this happened, but this might not be something that can be resolved. I would just hate to see you get hurt more trying to get him back,” Changbin said.

“He’s one of the only people I’ve ever had,” Jeongin said sadly, “I don’t just want to give up on him.”

“Just be please careful. And try not to set yourself up to be disappointed if you can’t get him back,” Changbin cautioned. 

“I know,” Jeongin said with a heavy sigh, “Seungmin’s being really nice now too. He even invited me to hang out with the other Hufflepuffs.”

“And did you accept?” Changbin asked. He pushed his empty plate to the side and watched it disappear out of the corner of his eye. 

Jeongin flushed and shook his head. “I don’t want him to feel obligated to be my friend or something,” he explained, “plus, I’m still nervous about Jisung. If he asks again, I’ll accept.”

“I think it’d be better if you focused on becoming better friends with Seungmin. From what I know he’s a good kid and it might not hurt to make some new friends. It’ll make everything happening with Minho a little easier,” Changbin said. 

“It’s not Seungmin I’m worried about,” Jeongin said, “I’m worried that if he’s not fully serious, once his friends start to push back, he’ll disappear.”

“You don’t have to become best friends with him tomorrow. Just take your time and focus on what’s going to be good for you,” Changbin said. 

“I’m thirteen,” Jeongin said with a joking smile, “I don’t know what’s good for me. No one knows what’s good for me.”

Changbin rolled his eyes fondly. “Just don’t get stuck on Minho when there’s better people out there, okay?” he said. He reached across the table and ruffled Jeongin’s hair. 

Jeongin whined and reached up to straighten his hair. “Jerk,” he mumbled fondly. He had missed Changbin messing around with him.

Changbin chuckled. “I missed ya, kid,” he said. It was true, he had really missed Jeongin, but he was still worried about the younger boy.

Jeongin paused. “I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me,” he admitted. Sure, the sentiment was always expressed nonverbally at the end of breaks, but it had never been vocalized to him.

Changbin smiled sadly. “I’m glad it was me,” he said. They sat there for a moment before he spoke up again. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m sure we can find something to get up to.”

They ended up back in Ravenclaw Tower and it was there that Jeongin finally worked up the courage to wrap Changbin in a giant bear hug. He could never describe how thankful he was for his hyung. 

Changbin grunted when Jeongin suddenly hugged him. “Careful, kid, or you’re gonna knock us both over,” he teased. He hugged Jeongin back, not giving the boy any opportunity to escape.

Jeongin took that as permission. Taking advantage of his height, he managed to swing him and Changbin around and land on his back on Changbin’s bed. 

“Innie, what are you doing?” Changbin asked feigning annoyance. It was hard to act angry when he couldn’t keep a smile off his face.

“Hyung, I haven’t gotten to hug you in forever,” Jeongin whined, practically smothering Changbin. 

“Why can’t you do this to Jacob hyung?” Changbin groaned out. He tightened his grip on Jeongin anyway, not quite ready to give up the hug.

“I already did,” Jeongin said, “all last night. It’s your turn.”

Changbin huffed. “Fine, you get ten minutes and then I have a History of Magic essay I have to write,” he said. He would much rather stay like this all day, but he didn’t want to fall behind in any classes. 

“That’s what you think,” Jeongin said. He settled in, getting comfortable and closing his eyes, fully prepared to take a nap on Changbin’s stomach. 

Changbin sighed. “Oh, is it nap time?” he asked. He raised a hand and ran it through Jeongin’s hair.

Jeongin hummed. He hadn’t slept properly in months and any opportunity for a good nap was something he would take. 

“Get some sleep, kiddo. I won’t bother you,” Changbin said. It was evident that Jeongin hadn’t been sleeping well lately and Changbin didn’t want to deprive him of a much needed nap. 

Changbin was really such a good friend. That was the last thought that passed through Jeongin’s brain before he fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Seungmin had been avoiding his room as much as possible lately, but now that everything had quieted down he braved going back. He missed hanging out with his friends a lot and he owed Hyunjin an apology for being so cold.

Hyunjin was in the common room with Felix, going over some flash cards for an upcoming Transfiguration written exam. When Seungmin entered the room, he made eye contact then looked away, knowing his best friend was probably mad at him. 

Seungmin frowned when Hyunjin looked away. He tapped the tip of his shoe against the floor and dropped his eyes. “I’m really sorry I pushed you away, Hyunjinnie,” he whispered.

Hyunjin looked up, surprised. He had expected Seungmin to come and yell at him for telling Chan his secret. 

“I was scared and I didn’t know what to do and I took it out on you and I’m so sorry,” Seungmin continued. He wrapped his arms around himself and took a step back from the couch. He wasn’t quite sure how Hyunjin was going to react, but he prepared himself for the worst. 

“I thought you were gonna yell at me,” Hyunjin said dumbly, “I told Chan even though you asked me not to.”

“Oh,” Seungmin mumbled. It made sense that Hyunjin went to talk to Chan and although he wasn’t mad about it, he wasn’t sure if he was happy. “I’m not mad at you,” he said after a moment. 

“You’re not?” Hyunjin asked in a small voice, looking up at Seungmin with big eyes. 

Seungmin glanced up from the floor and shook his head. “You helped me. I could never be mad at you for that,” he said. 

“As much as I’m here for this lovefest,” Felix interrupted, “Jisung’s gonna be here in a minute and he’s gonna make fun of you, so. Hug it out already.”

Seungmin pouted and all but ran across the common room to Hyunjin. He dropped into the older boy’s lap and hugged him tightly. He was still terrified out of his mind that something was going to happen, but that wasn’t Hyunjin’s worry. 

Hyunjin easily wrapped his arms around Seungmin’s middle. “We’re gonna play wizard chess in a bit. Wanna help me beat Lixie?” he asked. 

Seungmin nodded. He hadn’t played a game of wizard chess in what felt like forever. He settled himself comfortably in Hyunjin’s lap and listened as he and Felix finished their Transfiguration flashcards.

Once Jisung showed up, Hyunjin put the flash cards away and Felix set up the chessboard. “Minnie and I are a team,” the oldest boy announced. 

“Wait, that’s not fair at all! You should let Seungmin pick who’s team he wants to be on because he’s the best out of all of us,” Jisung said. Seungmin just tightened his grip on Hyunjin’s neck.

“We already picked earlier,” Hyunjin said, keeping his one arm around Seungmin’s waist, “you missed out ‘cause you’re a stupid Gryffindor.”

Jisung pouted and crossed his arms. “If you guys weren’t studying, I would have been here,” he grumbled, “come on, Lixie, let’s kick their asses and then they’ll be begging us to be on their teams.”

Hyunjin and Seungmin were white, so they went first. Hyunjin directed the pieces from Seungmin’s whispered directions and they had the other two in a checkmate in no time. 

“This game is rigged,” Jisung announced. He swiped the rest of the pieces onto the floor and said back with a huff. Seungmin giggled quietly and hid his face in Hyunjin’s neck when Jisung glared at him.

“You’re just bad,” Felix complained, “I’m in charge of our team this time.” He waved his wand to reset the board and repair the smashed pieces, waiting for Hyunjin to make the first move. 

“Fine, have it your way,” Jisung said with a huff. Seungmin picked his head up so he could whisper to Hyunjin without the others hearing him. “I think you can win without me,” he said. 

“No, I can’t,” Hyunjin mumbled as he moved a pawn, “I’m not that good at this game.”

“Fine, fine,” Seungmin said. He helped Hyunjin through the game again, but went a little easier on Felix, if only to make Jisung that much more annoyed.

There were only a few pieces left this time when Hyunjin finally trapped Felix in a checkmate, thanks to Seungmin’s direction. “Good game, Lixie,” he said with a smile. 

Jisung narrowed his eyes. “You went easy on him,” he accused. “I absolutely did not,” Seungmin denied, fighting to hide a smile. 

“Seungminnie doesn’t go easy on anyone,” Hyunjin claimed, “just admit you suck, Sungie.”

“I’m not that bad! I beat my friends all the time,” Jisung said. He pouted and stared at the board where a white bishop and knight were still working on destroying Felix’s king. 

“Yeah, well, your _friends_ are stupid,” Hyunjin grumbled, “you’re lucky I knew you before Sorting or we wouldn’t be friends. Gryffindors are the fucking worst.”

Jisung glared at Hyunjin. “There’s assholes in every house. Don’t go blaming Gryffindors for everything. If there’s any house that’s the worst, it’s Slytherin,” he said. He didn’t notice Seungmin tense up.

Felix’s eyes widened a bit. “Jinnie, is the Quidditch team harassing you again?” he asked softly, leaning forward. 

Seungmin turned to look at Hyunjin. He had been so wrapped up in what was going on with Minho and Jeongin that he hadn’t checked to make sure his friend was okay.

“No,” Hyunjin said stubbornly, “I just think Gryffindors are dumb.”

Jisung frowned. “Maybe it’s time I get going. You obviously don’t want to talk about whatever’s going on with me around,” he said. He grabbed his wand and pulled himself to his feet.

“Jinnie, that’s a really sudden change of opinion,” Felix said, “are you _sure_ nothing happened?” Hyunjin bit his lip. “They keep grabbing and touching me,” he admitted. 

Jisung froze. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? Especially to Chan hyung,” he asked. He had heard his teammates’ mumblings but he didn’t think it had gone this far. 

“He can’t _do_ anything,” Hyunjin said, “it’s not like they’ll listen to him.” He didn’t want to, but he thought back to all the times over the last few weeks that Gryffindor Quidditch players had accosted him in the hallway, pushing him into the wall and grabbing his ass and whispering dirty things in his ears. 

“He could talk to the Gryffindor prefects,” Seungmin said carefully, “they might be able to do something.”

“They _are_ the Gryffindor prefects,” Hyunjin said quietly, “all three of the Gryffindor male prefects are on the team and they’re not gonna listen to Jacob either.”

Seungmin frowned. He turned to look at Jisung. “Could you say something?” he asked hesitantly. He was met with a wide-eyed stare. “I-I can try,” Jisung said uncertainly.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble, Sungie,” Hyunjin said in a small voice. “It’s okay, I can handle it.” 

“Can you though? A minute ago, you were accusing my whole house of being the worst and this has obviously been happening all year. It’s not gonna stop if we keep letting it happen,” Jisung said. 

“It’s not gonna stop if we say anything either,” Hyunjin said dejectedly, “there’s no point in doing anything, Sungie, it’s fine. The main one that’s doing it is graduating this year anyway.”

“It might,” Jisung said. He tightened his grip on his wand and walked towards the door. “I’ll be back.”

Hyunjin opened his mouth to protest, but Jisung was already gone. He bit his lip, troubled. He didn’t want his friend to get hurt. 

Seungmin rubbed Hyunjin’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay. And we can give Chan hyung a heads up just in case,” he assured. Meanwhile, Jisung was stalking back to the Gryffindor common room. He didn’t really have a plan, but he wasn’t worried.

The members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were in a corner of the common room, playing a loud and rowdy game of Exploding Snap. When Kim Yugyeom, captain, chaser, and prefect, spotted Jisung, he waved him on over.

Jisung walked over slowly. He wasn’t sure how this was going to work out but his anger at his team for hurting his friend overshadowed the worry. “I know you guys are still harassing Hyunjin. I’m sick of hearing how horrible you are to him. This has to stop now or I’ll go to the Headmaster,” he said before he could stop himself. 

Yugyeom stopped laughing and sat up. “What are you gonna do about it?” he challenged, “it’s not our fault he walks around looking like that. He’s practically asking for it.”

Jisung’s face twisted into a scowl. “He’s not asking for anything! Especially from you. Just leave him alone and find someone your own age to look at,” he said bravely.

Yugyeom stood up, towering over Jisung. “You’d better watch yourself, Han,” he threatened, “Hwang knows what he gets for dirty blood like his.”

Jisung took a couple steps back. “And what are you gonna do? They can take your badges and kick you off of the team if I say what’s going on. I would hate to jeopardize us losing the Quidditch cup this year ‘cause you can’t keep it in your pants,” he snapped. His team had made comments about Hyunjin here and there in passing but nothing like this before and it was making him sick. 

“Who are they gonna believe?” Yugyeom taunted, “a decorated captain? Or a truant and a dirty half breed?”

“Don’t call him that,” Jisung growled, “and Hyunjin’s not gonna tell them, I will. No one goes against their own team for no reason. Chan hyung has already caught you guys once; he knows what’s going and he’s on our side.”

“A decorated captain, or the prefect that’s slutting it up with the Head Boy,” Yugyeom said with a shrug, “you can do whatever you want, it won’t make a difference. If you want to keep your position on this team, I suggest you keep your trap shut.”

Jisung’s eyes widened. “You can’t kick me off the team. You need me,” he said, more to convince himself than anything.

“There’s a million guys in here willing to play chaser for us,” Yugyeom said with a snort, “I don’t even need someone good. I already have Yuto.” The sixth year keeper sneered over Yugyeom’s shoulder. 

Jisung frowned. “You’re such a dick. Just stay far away from Hyunjin and maybe I’ll keep my mouth closed,” he said. His eyes darted to the keeper that was now standing above him as well. 

“Open your little rat mouth and Yuto’ll show you what happens to snitches,” Yugyeom said. Yuto cracked his knuckles threateningly, glaring at the small fourth year. 

Jisung swallowed nervously and took another step back. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with this conversation, but he couldn’t let them continue to harass Hyunjin. “Fine, have it your way,” he said, turning around.

Yugyeom snorted as he watched Jisung leave. “Rough him up a little extra at practice tomorrow,” he ordered, “and someone teach that fucking half breed what happens when he runs his mouth.”

Jisung stalked back to the Hufflepuff common room. “You have to promise me you’ll tell me if they bother you again,” he said as he approached Hyunjin, “I don’t want them to get away with this anymore.”

“I can’t,” Hyunjin said, stricken, “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Sung.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me. My captains have never followed through on something they’ve threatened me with. You can’t keep getting hurt like this,” Jisung said, “if you won’t tell me, will you at least tell Chan hyung?”

Hyunjin hesitated, but eventually shrugged. He would pretend to consider it. 

Jisung sighed and sat back down in his previous spot. He didn’t have the energy to fight anymore today. 

The next day, Yugyeom followed through on his promise. Every time Jisung held the Quaffle, a Bludger or another Chaser came flying his way. The fifth time he dropped the Quaffle, Yugyeom blew his whistle and sent him to fly laps. 

Jisung was incredibly annoyed but he went to fly laps regardless. He wasn’t getting much practice in anyway, so at least this gave him a chance to get away from his teammates. The cold air stung his cheeks, but he was too angry to notice. 

Yugyeom stopped near the goal posts, watching Jisung fly. Kiyong, the fifth year beater, stopped next to him and Yuto. “I don’t care what you have to do,” the captain said darkly, “make sure he never flies for me again.” 

Jisung wasn’t paying attention to anything except the open air in front of him. He leaned low over his broom and sped down the length of the pitch as fast as he could. The air roared around him and continued to whip at his face and robes.

Kiyong nodded shortly and flew off, spinning his bat in his hand as he searched for a Bludger. Injuries happened in practices all the time. At least, that’s what he would tell anyone when they asked how the heavy iron ball managed to hit Han Jisung in the knee and nearly send him flying off his broom. 

Jisung cried out when he felt something smash into the side of his knee. He barely managed to stay on his broom and immediately headed toward the ground. His vision was blurry and he could hardly pay attention to where he was going through the pain that radiated through his entire leg. He somehow managed a messy landing and immediately collapsed into a heap on the cold ground. He clutched at his knee and sobbed loudly. 

Yugyeom smirked as he flew toward the ground. “I’ll go get, Youngjae,” he said loftily, “keep an eye on him, boys.” Once he was gone, the rest of the team landed around Jisung in a tight huddle and if someone’s foot nudged his injured knee, no one said anything. 

Jisung squeezed his eyes shut and tried to distract himself from the pain, but nothing was working. The only reason he knew his team was around him was the sharp pain he felt every time someone tapped his knee with the toe of their boot. “G-Get away from me,” he managed to grit out, but it came out much less threatening than he wanted. 

“You’re not in a position to make demands,” Yuto growled, all but kicking Jisung in the shin. “This is what happens when you try to fuck with us.”

Jisung whimpered pitifully. Yuto was right; he wasn’t in any position to argue so he kept his mouth shut. He had never been in this much pain before and he didn’t know how much longer he could take it. Even through the swelling, he knew his knee was shattered and he wondered if he would be able to play again this season. 

Yuto delivered one last kick to Jisung’s leg before backing up as Youngjae and Professor Kang, the Head of Gryffindor House, hurried over. “Oh dear, Mr. Han,” Youngjae fretted as he and Professor Kang helped Jisung up and stabilized him between them. 

Jisung barely registered who was helping him up, but he knew it wasn’t his teammates. He made the horrible mistake of trying to put weight on his leg when he stood up and cried out again as an immense amount of pain seared through his leg. The edges of his visions went fuzzy and he felt like he was going to throw up. He tried to warn whoever was helping him that he couldn’t walk, but he couldn’t form the words. 

“Don’t put weight on it,” Youngjae ordered, “Professor Kang and I will support you, so don’t even try.” The Defense Professor turned to look at his prefects, eyeing them suspiciously. 

Jisung whimpered in response, too scared to nod his head. He leaned heavily on his professors and let them help him off the pitch. 

Youngjae clicked his tongue as Younghyun helped Jisung into a bed. He thanked the professor, shooing him away before turning to Jisung and getting to work. 

Jisung couldn’t tolerate the pain much longer and passed out soon after he got to the infirmary. He had no idea how long he had been out for before he blinked his eyes open again. His leg was throbbing and his mouth and throat were dry. It took a few moments for his vision to clear fully. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Youngjae said once he noticed Jisung’s eyes open, “your friends have been waiting for you.”

“My friends are waiting?” Jisung asked hoarsely. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than was the curtain next to his bed pulled open to reveal his friends standing there. 

Hyunjin was inconsolable when he found out what had happened to Jisung. He knew it was his fault. Gryffindor’s team was too good to simply let a stray Bludger hit a player.

Before Jisung could form another sentence, someone threw themselves around his neck and held on tightly. “Does it hurt really bad?” Seungmin asked quietly. “Not anymore,” Jisung replied, “how...how long were you guys waiting?”

“A couple hours,” Chan said, coming to stand by the foot of Jisung’s bed, “Lixie had to take Hyunjin back to the dorms; he wouldn’t stop crying and Youngjae had to give him a Draught of Peace, so Felix took him back to sleep it off.”

Seungmin pulled away and took a step back from the bed. Jisung frowned and turned his head down. “I hope he’s okay when he wakes up,” he mumbled. He felt bad that Hyunjin was so distraught. 

Chan exchanged a glance with Youngjae, waiting for the healer to leave the room before turning back to Jisung. “I need you to be honest with me,” he said, “did your team attack you?”

Jisung’s eyes widened. “N-No, it was an accident,” he said, “I was flying laps away from everyone else and then something slammed into my knee. I wasn’t paying enough attention to get out of the way and I don’t remember a lot of what happened after I landed on the ground.”

“A lot of the bruising looks like separate impacts lower on your leg,” Chan said dubiously, “I know you went to try and stand up to them about Hyunjin, so I just want to make sure they didn’t try to hurt you.”

“I didn’t exactly land smoothly,” Jisung explained, “no they didn’t. If anything, they’re mad that I wasn’t playing that well.”

Chan frowned but let it slide. He would ask Jisung again when the boy was feeling better. 

“It’s fine, hyung,” Jisung assured. Next to him, Seungmin looked to be on the verge of tears so he scooted over and patted the bed. Seungmin wasted no time crawling in and laying down next to Jisung.

“Mr. Han, I’m sorry to tell you, I don’t believe you’ll be able to get back on the pitch this year,” Youngjae informed as he stepped back into the room, “your knee is absolutely shattered, and your shin took some significant damage as well. This isn’t an injury I can fix by magical means.”

Jisung shot up, jostling Seungmin in his haste. “What? No, there’s gotta be something you can do. I-I can’t miss the rest of the season,” Jisung said, “isn’t it fine if I leave it wrapped up and I’m careful?” 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Han, but if you want to be able to walk correctly in the future, you need to stay on the ground,” Youngjae said firmly.

Jisung opened his mouth again but a gentle tug on his sleeve from Seungmin kept him quiet. He sighed and laid back down. “I understand,” he mumbled sadly. 

“If you make sure to take care of it and exercise it once the cast is off, you should have no problem getting back on a broom next year,” Youngjae offered. It was the best attempt at consolation that he could give. 

Jisung frowned but nodded. He didn’t want to wait until next year to get back on a broom but… speaking of brooms. “Where is my broom?” he asked suddenly. 

“Your captain found it broken in two pieces,” Chan said, “he thinks you snapped it when you landed. I’m sorry, Sung.”

“It’s broken?” Jisung asked in a small voice. His parents had bought him that broom as a present when he first got his letter. They had spent a lot of money on that broom and there was no way they would get him a new one when it was his fault this one broke. 

“I’m sorry, Sung,” Chan said again, “we tried but it was so splintered where it broke that the spell wouldn’t hold. But I promise we’ll find a way to get you a new one for next year.”

Jisung sniffed. “Yeah fine,” he mumbled. He rolled onto his side, careful not to jostle his knee too much, and turned his back to everyone. “I’m gonna get some more sleep.” There were hundreds of witches and wizards in this school; how could none of them find a spell that would work?

Chan knew there wasn’t anything he could do to make Jisung feel better, so he patted the boy on his good leg and motioned for the others to leave with him. 

“I’ll be back later, Sungie,” Seungmin promised. He crawled out of bed and followed Chan out of the hospital wing. “Hyung, is he gonna be okay?” he asked quietly. 

“Physically, yeah,” Chan said with a sigh, “but this is gonna be a big hit emotionally. We just have to make sure we’re there for him, okay?”

Seungmin nodded. “Do you really think it was an accident?” he asked next. 

“No, I don’t,” Chan said, “I saw his broom; it doesn’t get shattered like that just from him landing on it. There’s a full-on footprint on his ankle. And Gryffindor’s Beaters are way too good to let a stray Bludger go at a player like that.”

Seungmin chewed on his lip. “Jisung never lies. And he’s always so open about what’s going on. What’s happening? I know Quidditch means a lot to him, but I didn’t think he would do something like this,” he said sadly.

Chan pulled Seungmin into a nearby alcove and lowered his voice. “Do not repeat any of this to Hyunjin,” he said quietly, “but Jisung goes to confront the Quidditch team and ends up with a nearly impossible injury the next day? I don’t buy it.”

“But if Jisung won’t tell us the truth and Hyunjin won’t tell us if the team keeps bothering him, what are we gonna do?” Seungmin asked with wide eyes, “the team will never admit anything and if we confront them, someone else is gonna get hurt.”

“I’m not sure,” Chan said, “I can’t get caught doing anything and I don’t want you guys to get involved, but I’m sure someone will come forward eventually. They can’t all be on board with Kim Yugyeom’s reign of terror.”

Seungmin sighed. “Can Jacob hyung do anything?” he asked carefully.

“He has even less leeway than I do,” Chan said, “but if we keep talking about his injury and don’t let him hide, I’m sure one of the younger members of the team will come forward eventually.”

Seungmin nodded. “Alright, hyung. Just please don’t get hurt too,” he said. He stepped forward and hugged Chan tightly. He wasn’t as worried about Minho doing anything anymore, but he never wanted to see Chan get hurt. 

Chan hugged Seungmin tightly. “Let’s go back and take care of Jinnie, alright? I’m sure Felix needs a break.”

Seungmin let go of Chan and stepped out of the alcove. “I’ll take care of Hyunjin,” he promised. When they got back to the common room, he went into the bedroom and sent Felix out to spend some time with Chan. 

Hyunjin was in bed, but he wasn’t asleep. He vaguely noticed Felix getting up, but was way too trapped in his own head to care. 

Seungmin crawled into bed behind Hyunjin and wrapped himself around his friend’s back. “It’s just me, Jinnie,” he whispered.

Hyunjin hummed and sniffled. “Is Jisung awake?” he asked miserably. 

“Yeah he is, but he went back to sleep when we left,” Seungmin said, “he said his knee doesn’t hurt as much and he’s more worried about his broom than himself.”

Hyunjin sniffled again and hugged the pillow in his arms tighter. “This is all my fault,” he mumbled. 

“No, Jinnie, this absolutely is not and Jisung would say the same thing. You didn’t want this to happen and you didn’t ask for this to happen so there’s no way this can be your fault,” Seungmin said. 

Hyunjin found himself thinking back to that morning, when Kim Yugyeom had cornered him on the way back from breakfast and, breathing down his neck, told him that if he ever told anyone anything about their encounters, Yugyeom would do a lot worse than grope him. He had described it in painfully graphic detail. Hyunjin sobbed. 

Seungmin frowned. “It’s okay, Hyunjinnie, this isn’t your fault. Everything’s gonna be okay and Jisung will be good as new in no time,” he said soothingly.

“He got hurt trying to defend me,” Hyunjin sobbed, “I never should have said anything.”

“No, we’re glad you did, Jisung included. We want to put an end to this and to do that we have to know what’s going on. If I know Jisung, I know that he would have done this one thousand times over, even if he knew the outcome, to make sure you’re okay,” Seungmin said. 

Hyunjin whimpered. He still felt incredibly guilty. There was no way he could face Jisung now. 

“Oh, Hyunjin,” Seungmin mumbled. He tightened his grip on his friend. “You can’t stop telling us if they harass you. Nobody else is gonna get hurt, but we have to get them in trouble or they aren’t gonna stop bothering you,” he added.

Hyunjin shook his head. That was the one thing he absolutely couldn’t do. The more people he told, the more people got hurt, and the idea of Jisung plummeting toward the ground was already haunting him. 

Seungmin sighed sadly. “Then please at least don’t go anywhere alone. We all just want you to be safe,” he said quietly.

“I think I’m gonna have one of our reserve chasers go in for the Gryffindor game,” Hyunjin said quietly, “I can’t do it.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Seungmin said supportively, “we don’t even have to go anywhere near the pitch if you don’t want to. We can stay up here and I can teach you how to beat Lixie and Sung at wizard chess on your own.”

Hyunjin shook his head. “You guys are better off staying away from me,” he said, “you’ll be safer that way.”

“But you won’t be. I’m not letting any more of my friends get hurt this year. You helped me when I didn’t ask for it and that was the best thing that could have happened. Now it’s my turn to do that for you,” Seungmin said. 

“They won’t hurt me,” Hyunjin said. That much he knew. They would never leave any marks that could be traced back to them. 

“They’re _harassing_ you, Hyunjin. Maybe they aren’t physically hurting you, but this is still something that shouldn’t be happening. They are gross and disgusting and this has to stop,” Seungmin said.

“I have it handled,” Hyunjin said, body tensing up as Seungmin’s voice grew more aggressive, “I’m fine.”

“I’m gonna stop because I know you’re getting upset, but I’m not giving up on you and neither are the rest of our friends,” Seungmin said softly. He loosened his grip on Hyunjin a little in case the older boy wanted to pull away. 

Hyunjin curled into himself a bit, avoiding Seungmin’s touch. What had at first been comforting now felt heavy and oppressive. Hyunjin honestly never wanted to be touched by anyone again. 

Seungmin unwrapped himself completely from Hyunjin’s back. He slowly got out of Hyunjin’s bed and went to lay in his own, giving Hyunjin plenty of space while still having some company.

It wasn’t long before Hyunjin started crying again, the Draught of Peace finally wearing off. He kept quiet this time, simply shaking under the covers and wetting his pillow without making a peep.

Seungmin was discouraged, but he wasn’t going to stop. Hyunjin didn’t give up on him and there was no way he was going to give up on his friend. The next few days continued the same and Seungmin had learned to give Hyunjin plenty of space in the dorms, which led to him spending a lot of quality time with Felix. 

“Who decided we need Transfiguration?” Felix complained when he returned from classes on Thursday, “it’s stupid!”

Seungmin looked up at Felix with wide eyes. “But it’s so cool! Anything you need you just take something you don’t and bam! New thing. And no one even knows,” he said. 

“It’s dumb and I’m dumb,” Felix whined as he flopped on top of Seungmin “I wish I was smart like you.”

“No, don’t say that,” Seungmin groaned out from beneath Felix’s weight, “you are smart. You’re just smart at different things. I’m not even that good at Transfiguration. I just find it so cool ‘cause I’ve never seen it before coming here.”

Felix pouted. “Well, now I feel bad,” he mumbled. He always forgot that Seungmin was a Muggleborn, because he was so naturally adept at magic. 

Seungmin smiled softly and messed up Felix’s hair. “Don’t feel bad, Lix, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he paused for a moment, “you know what one of my favorite things is? Watching you interact with all of the animals in Care of Magical Creatures. You’re such a natural and you always know exactly what each one needs. That’s incredible and there’s so many people that would kill to be able to do that.”

“Jinnie can do it too,” Felix mumbled, “it’s really not special. You just have to pay attention.”

Seungmin shook his head. “It’s not the same. Even Jackson has noticed. He always talks to us and explains everything you’re doing so the rest of us can learn. You have a real talent, Lixie. Just because it’s not in Transfiguration doesn’t mean it’s not there at all,” he said. 

“It’s not _magic_ though,” Felix complained, “any Muggle could do it just as well. Not that there’s anything wrong with Muggles, but you know what I mean.”

“I’ve never met another Muggle who has had such an innate instinct for taking care of animals, but that’s not the point. The point is that not all magic is about casting a spell. Look at potions, look at history of magic, look at Quidditch! It takes a special kind of skill to be able to do each and every one of those. If they didn’t require magic, everyone would be just as good as each other at everything,” Seungmin said.

Felix’s pout didn’t leave, but it certainly did subside a little bit. “Either way, Transfiguration makes me tired,” he said finally, “can we take a nap?”

Seungmin smiled softly. “Sure, but you’re gonna have to scoot over a little bit, it’s hard to breathe with you laying completely on my chest,” he said with a small chuckle.

Felix rolled off of Seungmin and clung to his taller friend’s side instead. “I’m really glad you’re a wizard, Minnie,” he said after a minute, “‘cause we wouldn’t have met otherwise and I think things would suck without you.”

“Oh, Lix,” Seungmin mumbled, “I’m really glad too. I’ve never really had friends before I came here and I’m so happy I got to meet you guys. Everything was so… I don’t know but my life has been so much better since I’ve been here.”

“I wish I knew you before,” Felix said, “I would’ve been friends with you no matter what!”

Even with Felix’s enthusiasm, Seungmin’s face still fell slightly. “I don’t know. I was a really quiet and weird kid. I mean I still am, but it was so much worse when I was in school at home. I’m a lot different here than I was there,” he said. 

“That’s why I approached you in the first place, back in first year,” Felix said softly, “you seemed so shy and scared. I could tell you needed a friend.”

Seungmin looked up at Felix. “Really? Well you were right. I was scared out of my mind and I didn’t think I was gonna be able to make any friends,” he admitted. 

“My mom always told me that if I see someone without a friend, then it’s my job to be their friend and look after them.” Felix smiled wistfully. “I miss her a lot. I won’t see any of my family until Christmas.”

Seungmin smiled tightly. He missed his mom too, but for entirely different reasons. “Well you must get your smarts from your mom then,” he said, “it’s hard being away for so long, but having you guys always makes it easier.” 

“I feel bad for the people that don’t get to go home for the break,” Felix said with a pout, “I miss my family so much; I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t get to see them until June.”

“Yeah me too. I can’t imagine waiting that long,” Seungmin said, “or not having any family to go home to.” His mind wandered to Jeongin for a moment. 

“Yeah,” Felix agreed softly, “at least we all have each other. There’s some people that don’t have a close knit group like we do.”

Seungmin nodded. “I honestly don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t meet you guys. I don’t think I would have been able to keep up,” he said quietly. 

“Hufflepuff House is so small,” Felix said, “we all would’ve been friends anyway. Maybe not as close but you always would’ve been able to turn to us and rely on us.”

Seungmin smiled softly. “If you guys didn’t introduce me to Jisung, I think he would have scared me away,” he said with a laugh, “I’ve never hung out with someone so...ambitious. I think I would have been too scared to approach you guys. Chan hyung too, but that’s different.”

“Chan’s not scary,” Felix said, “he has big arms, but it’s not like he uses them for anything. They’re just decoration.”

“He was scary to first-year me! There’s no way I was risking getting on his bad side,” Seungmin said. He could laugh about it now that he knew how gentle Chan actually was. 

Felix tried to think back. “I guess I was scared of him too, til I realized he’s Australian,” he admitted.

Seungmin hummed. “It’s always nice to have a connection with someone, especially like that,” he said. 

“He doesn’t get to go back as often as I do though,” Felix said sadly, “I can tell he really misses it sometimes.”

“Is he gonna move back when he graduates?” Seungmin asked. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere other than home, especially being from so far away.

“I’m not sure,” Felix said with a shrug, “I think he and Jacob hyung are planning on getting a place in London once they graduate, but who knows.”

“They’re cute together,” Seungmin commented. Even though the two seventh years did their best to keep their relationship to themselves, it was hard not to notice the looks they would exchange every time they were together. 

Felix nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe they think they’re being subtle though,” he said with a snort.

Seungmin giggled quietly. “I bet we could make Chan hyung really flustered if we bring it up one day,” he said. 

“You can make Chan flustered just by mentioning Jacob. Or if you call him Chris,” he added in a whisper, giggling. 

“Calling him Chris? I’ve never heard anyone call him that before,” Seungmin whispered. He didn’t mind bringing up Jacob, but he was nervous about using a different name. 

“It’s his English name,” Felix explained, “he hasn’t used it as much since leaving Australia, because they live with a Korean-speaking family here. He doesn’t mind people using it, but a lot of people just don’t know what it is.”

Seungmin hummed. “I’ll remember that. Maybe I’ll use it next time he’s upset about something,” he said. He muffled a yawn with his hand and settled down more comfortably. 

“Nap time?” Felix asked. He ran a hand through Seungmin’s hair.

“You’re the one that came in here all tired. I think you gave it all to me and took my energy,” Seungmin said. He closed his eyes and cuddled up to Felix. “I don’t know what to do about Hyunjin,” he mumbled into Felix’s shoulder. 

Felix tensed a little. “I don’t know that there’s anything we can do right now,” he said quietly, “if we try anything, Yugyeom might hurt him for real.”

Seungmin sniffed. “I don’t want him to get hurt anymore,” he said sadly. He clung onto Felix a little tighter.

“Neither do I,” Felix said, “but we have to be careful. Yugyeom will find out if we take this to Chan, so we have to find a way to get to Jacob without Chan involved so Jacob can go to the Headmaster, and we need to time it so that Hyunjin and Jisung will both be with us all day.”

Seungmin nodded. “I can stay with Jisung all day as long as I’m not in class. Hyunjin doesn’t really want me around so it might be better if you stay with him,” he said. He didn’t have any contact with Jacob other than Chan, but that wasn’t an option.

“Hyunjin doesn’t really want anyone around,” Felix said, “it’s not just you. He’s pushing all of us away.”

“I just want everyone to be happy. Everything has been a nightmare so far and I just want it to end,” Seungmin mumbled, “and no matter what he says he wants, I’m not giving up.”

“None of us are,” Felix promised, “we just need to back off for a little bit so we can make a plan and actually take care of this.”

Seungmin nodded. He yawned again and was more than happy to fall asleep. “Thanks for being the best, Lixie,” he murmured before he was out like a light.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings in this chapter for discussion of loss of parents, terminal illness, one graphic description of death (Jeongin's mom), and references to the Great Wizarding War

The following evening found Jeongin waiting for Seungmin at Jackson's cabin. It was unusual for the fourth year to be late, but with what had happened to Jisung the previous weekend, Jeongin wouldn’t be surprised if the other Hufflepuffs were holding Seungmin up.

Seungmin had been so worried about Hyunjin that he nearly lost track of time on Friday. He sprinted through the castle grounds and down to Jackson’s hut, hoping they didn’t leave without him. They hadn’t made any progress with Hyunjin and he was nervous to leave his best friend, even if it was just for a few hours. 

Jeongin was glad that Seungmin showed up before Jackson decided to head into the woods. Walking through those woods alone in the dark was the exact opposite of fun. “Took you long enough,” he mumbled as they walked behind the groundskeeper.

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin said, completely embarrassed. He fell into step next to Jeongin, but his mind wasn’t on the Slytherin or the thestrals, it was still back in the Hufflepuff common room. 

“I’m just teasing,” Jeongin said as they reached the clearing and separated to feed the thestrals. “How’s Jisung?”

Seungmin turned his head down. “He’s doing a lot better. Not happy to be stuck in a cast though,” he said. 

“I can imagine,” Jeongin said, “and there’s no other fourth years on the Gryffindor team, so they can’t help him to class or anything. Really sucks.”

Seungmin nodded. “And his prefects won’t help him so Chan hyung has basically adopted him at this point,” he said. When they reached the clearing, one of the babies came trotting over. Although Seungmin would never admit it aloud, it was pretty obvious who he had soft spots for. 

“That sucks,” Jeongin said, “I wish there was something I could do to help, but I know Jisung doesn’t really like me.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Seungmin’s mouth. “Thanks, Jeongin, but we don’t even know what to do,” he said sadly.

“Did Jacob have any ideas?” Jeongin asked as he scratched behind one of the thestral’s ears.

“We haven’t talked to him. We don’t want to get Chan hyung involved if we can help it so we have no way to talk to him,” Seungmin replied. He tossed a piece of meat away from them and watched the babies race after it. 

“I can talk to him if you want,” Jeongin suggested, “that way you can just go around Chan to get whatever help you need.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened and he looked up at Jeongin. “You would talk to him for us? I just don’t want you to get dragged into this too,” he said. 

“Yeah, of course,” Jeongin said earnestly, “at this point, it’s not like I have anything to lose. Maybe it’ll make your friends like me more too.”

Seungmin’s shoulders sagged. “That would be amazing thank you so much,” he said, “Jisung’s a really hard nut to crack but this will definitely help.”

“Of course,” Jeongin said, “I guess if I need to find new friends, I might as well start there, right?”

Seungmin’s smile widened. “Yeah, I think it’s a good place to start. You already have me,” he said. 

Jeongin nodded. He smiled to himself as he kept scratching the thestral in front of him. They really were so cute.

“I can’t believe I was ever afraid of them,” Seungmin said quietly. The thestrals were some of the gentlest creatures he had ever met. He wished he could tell Hyunjin all about them but that wasn’t a conversation he was willing to have.

“They can be intimidating, especially if you aren’t prepared for them,” Jeongin said, “I knew about them well before entering Hogwarts, but I assume it’s pretty scary as a Muggleborn.”

Seungmin nodded. “What scared me the most was when I realized no one else could see them. I thought I was going crazy but that’s not the case at all,” he said. 

“There used to be a huge stigma around being able to see them,” Jeongin said, “but after the War, nearly everyone could see them, so it wasn’t such a big deal anymore. That generation has long since graduated, obviously, but it certainly helps that this doesn’t make everything worse. In fact, I bet most of our professors can see them; almost all of them were students here during the War. No one would judge you for being able to see them.”

Seungmin sighed sadly. “I’m not worried about people knowing I can see them,” his voice dropped to no louder than a whisper, “I’m worried about them asking _why_ I can see them.”

Jeongin went still. He could understand why Seungmin didn’t want people to know. He, unfortunately, had never had that choice.

“I’m sorry. I said that like we’re not in the same exact boat,” Seungmin said with a shake of his head. Not a moment later Jackson called them over so they could head back up to the castle.

“It’s fine,” Jeongin said with a small shake of his head, “I wouldn’t want to talk about it either if I had the choice not to. It’s rough, especially when you’re a kid.”

“You didn’t have a choice? That’s horrible, I’m so sorry,” Seungmin said sincerely. He didn’t know what he would do if the whole school knew his story. 

“The whole world knows,” Jeongin said with a snort as he fell into step with Seungmin, “it wasn’t exactly private.”

Seungmin frowned. “I don’t know and I bet a lot of other Muggleborns don’t either. My friends haven’t told me your whole story and I’d rather hear it from you anyway,” he said. 

“I’m surprised honestly,” Jeongin said. He figured Jisung would have been jumping at the chance to air his dirty laundry. He waited until after they had left Jackson’s and were heading back up the lawn to start. “You know the rumors about me,” he said with a sigh.

“Yeah and that’s all they are to me. I don’t believe you have a bad bone in your body and just because you were raised like that doesn’t mean you’re gonna turn out to be a bad person,” Seungmin said, “I’m lucky. I don’t understand what happened entirely so that lets me have an open mind. And from what I do know about Death Eaters, you aren’t even close.”

“Most of them aren’t really false,” Jeongin said, “pretty much my entire family is Death Eaters, or would have been if they were alive and old enough back then. My parents were different though. They wanted to raise me away from it, and my dad’s brother didn’t like that.”

“It’s hard to go against the rest of your family like that. That’s very brave of your parents,” Seungmin commented quietly. 

“Yeah, well, it didn’t exactly end well,” Jeongin said, a little sarcastically, “my aunt and uncle decided they had enough and showed up to try and force my dad back into it by forcibly indoctrinating me. Obviously, my dad wasn’t just going to let them do that, and the impending duel basically imploded our house.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “Wow, I’m...I’m so sorry,” he whispered, “I can’t even imagine what it was to go through that.” 

“I don’t know exactly what happened to my dad,” Jeongin said, “but my mom was trying to get me out of the room and got hit with some stray curse. She fell and caught her head on the radiator, but the rest of her kept falling and it just…” He trailed off. Even now, close to a decade later, he still couldn’t talk about what had happened that night.

Seungmin winced and tried not to think about what had happened to Jeongin’s mother. “Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it,” he said quickly, “I really am so sorry, Jeongin.” He reached over hesitantly and laid a gentle hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. 

Jeongin took a deep breath. “Neither of them made it,” he continued, “and pretty much everyone on both sides of my family is in Azkaban. The Wizarding world doesn’t exactly have the best semblance of a foster system, so I basically spent my entire childhood doing the equivalent of couchsurfing with various Ministry employees. That’s how I first met Jacob, actually. I stay at the school pretty much full time now though.”

“Oh wow,” Seungmin mumbled, “I’m sorry that everything’s been so hard for you. I wish there was something more I could do.” He couldn’t believe that someone so young had to suffer as much as Jeongin had. 

“It’s fine,” Jeongin said softly, “I mean, it’s not like I remember all that much of it anyway. I was only five. Everything you can do, you’ve done already.”

“Only five? Oh, Jeongin…” Seungmin murmured, “I haven’t done a good job of sticking up to you, but I’m gonna do better. I promise.”

“Don’t pity me,” Jeongin said sternly, “that’s the last thing I want, okay? All I need is a little bit of normalcy.”

Seungmin pulled back his hand and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Whatever you need,” he said quickly. 

They had reached the entrance hall now, but Jeongin didn’t really want to stop talking to Seungmin. “You know, if you want to talk about your situation, I’m always happy to listen,” he said tentatively.

Seungmin sucked in a breath. “I-I haven’t told anyone here, but everyone at my old school knew. Chan hyung is the one other person who even knows I can see the thestrals but I didn’t tell him why,” he paused, “thank you for the offer and I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but you wouldn’t understand.” He turned his head down and blinked away the tears that had gathered in his eyes from the memories. 

“I mean, I’m kinda probably the only one who would understand,” Jeongin said, “we’re the only two that I know of.”

Seungmin shook his head. “That’s…that’s not what I meant. Everything that happened was because of a Muggle disease. You wouldn’t understand it,” he said, voice wavering. 

“And I’m sure you don’t exactly understand the implications of a Wizard’s duel either, but that doesn’t mean you don’t _get it_ ,” Jeongin said gently. He could tell Seungmin was on the brink of tears, so he carefully led him over to an alcove with a bench to sit down.

Seungmin took a hard seat on the bench and kept his eyes glued to the floor. “My mom,” he began slowly, “she had this disease called cancer. Certain medications and treatments can make it go away, but it makes the person really sick. My mom was sick for a few years before she started to get better. But sometimes cancer can come back, which is what happened to my mom, and the doctors couldn’t do anything about it. It was just so hard watching her be in so much pain, but still managing to be so positive for me and my dad.” His voice was shaking and he barely got through his explanation before breaking down.

“I’m sorry,” Jeongin said softly, “that sounds horrible.” At least he hadn’t had to watch his parents suffer and be ill for years. He couldn’t imagine watching someone he loved go through that.

“She did so much for me and I never got the chance to do nearly as much for her,” Seungmin choked out, “I think that’s the hardest part. And as much as I love coming here, it’s so hard to leave my dad alone.”

“I’m sure it is,” Jeongin said sympathetically, “I can’t imagine what that must be like, Seungmin. I’m so sorry.”

Seungmin looked up at Jeongin and did his best to muster a small smile. “Thanks for listening. It’s nice to know someone who knows how hard it is to lose your family. The sympathy doesn’t mean the same coming from other people,” he said, trying to pull himself together. He kept wiping at his eyes but it didn’t help much.

“Of course,” Jeongin said, “and for what it’s worth, I think you should tell your friends soon. I know they probably won’t understand it like I do, but it just helps to know you have someone to lean on when it gets hard.”

Seungmin froze. “I...I don’t know if I can. They’ll want to know everything and I barely want to talk about it as it is,” he said sadly, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to tell them.”

“You can still set boundaries,” Jeongin said, “what I told you about my mom? Minho and Changbin don’t know that, and Jacob doesn’t know it from me. If they’re really your friends, they’ll respect that.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded in understanding. “I think I’ll wait ‘til everything calms down with Hyunjin and Jisung. There’s just so much going on right now and I don’t want to add to it,” he said. 

“Whatever you want to do,” Jeongin said, “just know that I support you. It’s hard to talk about it. I get that more than anyone.”

“You’re a really great friend, Jeongin. I wish I got to know you sooner,” Seungmin said sincerely. He couldn’t understand how all of his friends believed such horrible lies about the Slytherin when he was one of the sweetest people Seungmin had ever met. 

Jeongin felt his face heat up and coughed to cover it up. “We should probably go back,” he said, “don’t wanna get caught after curfew, right?”

“Oh yeah, definitely not,” Seungmin said. He stood up reluctantly and followed Jeongin out of the alcove. “We should hang out more often,” he said before he could stop himself. 

“We should,” Jeongin said with a nod, “I’ll talk to Jacob and let you know what he says,” he added as they reached the door to the Hufflepuff common room.

Seungmin smiled softly. “Thank you so much. Goodnight, Jeongin,” he said. With one last look over his shoulder, he stepped into the Hufflepuff dormitory feeling oddly lighter. He made sure to wipe his eyes one last time.

“Seungminnie!” Felix called across the common room, “where have you been? We’ve been waiting to play chess!”

Seungmin snuck a glance at Chan. “I was walking around and I lost track of time,” he said, “who’s team am I on?” He walked over and sat down on the couch next to Felix. 

“For an hour after curfew?” Felix asked dubiously, “that doesn’t sound like the Seungmin I know.”

Seungmin frowned. “I told you, I lost track of time. I didn’t run into any prefects or I would have come back earlier,” he said. 

“It was after curfew when you disappeared,” Felix said with a frown, “is everything okay, Minnie? Is Minho still bothering you?”

“No, no, he’s not bothering me. I haven’t seen him in over a week,” Seungmin said. He knew Felix wasn’t going to let this go so there was no use dragging it out anymore. “I was talking with Jeongin.”

“Jeongin? _Yang_ Jeongin?” Felix asked, a little bewildered, “I didn’t know you two were good enough friends for you to sneak out for him.”

“He’s really not as bad as you all seem to think. He’s actually a really sweet kid,” Seungmin said defensively, “and I don’t sneak out just to see him.” Oh no. Felix wasn’t going to let that go and that meant his secret was as good as gone. 

“Then what do you sneak out for?” Felix asked. With everything happening lately, he wasn’t going to let anything slide.

Seungmin took a deep breath. “We help Jackson feed the thestrals on Fridays,” he replied quietly, “that’s where I’ve been going every week.”

“Why?” Felix asked dumbly, “I mean, I know why Jeongin would, but you can’t see them.”

Seungmin looked up at Felix with sad eyes. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to explain everything twice in one night. “I can see them. That’s why Jackson asked me,” he said quietly.

“Oh,” Felix said, shoulders dropping, “I’m sorry, Minnie, I didn’t know. You’ve never seemed sad about anything like that.”

“I was tired of all the sad looks I used to get back at my old school. I didn’t want anyone to know here and I did the best I could to hide it. If it got that bad, I either hid or blamed being upset on something else,” Seungmin explained.

“I’m really sorry if I’ve ever made you upset about it,” Felix said, coming over and hugging Seungmin tightly.

Seungmin hugged Felix back. “Don’t worry, Lixie, you didn’t. I promise. I didn’t mean to hide this from you, but it’s still really hard to talk about and I was trying to avoid it all together,” he said. 

“Is it someone close to you?” Felix asked hesitantly. He didn’t want to upset Seungmin but he wanted to know what topics to avoid.

Seungmin exhaled shakily and nodded. “My mom,” he said, voice thick. He was trying not to break down again, but he was exhausted on top of the fact that he hadn’t thought about his mom this much in a long time.

“Oh my god, and I was just talking about missing my mom the other night,” Felix fretted, “I’m so sorry, Minnie, I had no idea!”

“Lixie, relax, it’s okay. I’m not upset and I don’t want you to stop talking about your mom around me,” Seungmin said, “that’s partially why I didn’t tell anyone too. I don’t want you guys to avoid talking about your families around me ‘cause you feel bad.”

“Was she sick?” Chan asked gently, “I had a cousin pass from leukemia; I know it’s rough.”

Seungmin sniffed and nodded. “She had cancer,” he said, “she went into remission, but it came back and the doctors couldn’t do anything.” He pulled away from Felix for a moment to wipe his eyes before burying his face in his friend’s shoulder again. 

“I’m sorry, that’s really hard,” Chan said. He rubbed his friend’s back. “Do you want us to tell Jinnie and Sungie so you don’t have to talk about it again?”

“No, they deserve to hear it from me,” Seungmin said, “I just need a little while. I haven’t talked about her this much in a long time.” 

“That’s okay,” Chan said. He gave Felix a significant look, making sure the boy knew to keep his mouth shut until Seungmin told them otherwise.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t mean to hide this from any of you,” Seungmin apologized. He knew his friends wouldn’t be mad, but that was still a big piece of information to keep hidden from them.

“No, Minnie, you have absolutely no obligation to tell us,” Chan said firmly, “that’s your life and your privacy.”

Seungmin sniffed. “Thank you both for being so supportive. The kids at my old school weren’t like this at all so I really only had my dad before now,” he said. 

“We’ll always be here for you, Seungminnie,” Chan said, “do you wanna play some chess? Or just go to bed?”

“Thanks, hyung,” Seungmin said, “I think I’m gonna go lay down.” He didn’t make any move to get up though, not quite ready to let go of Felix yet. 

“C’mon, kids,” Chan said, standing up, “go to bed or I’ll have to hex you under your covers.”

Seungmin leapt away from Felix and pouted up at Chan. “Yes, dad,” he said tiredly. He grabbed Felix’s hand and dragged him off to their bedroom. 

Chan smiled fondly as he watched the two head off to the fourth year dorm. He was glad that Seungmin had finally opened up to them. Hopefully, the boy would come to them more now.

Jacob sat at his desk trying to draft a formal letter to the Headmaster. He knew talking to him about stepping down from Head Boy was going to go in circles so he hoped a letter would be more definitive. 

Jeongin knocked softly on Jacob’s door and stepped into the older boy’s room. “Hey, hyung, can you help me with something?” he asked tentatively, still not sure where he stood with Jacob anymore. 

Jacob let the piece of parchment roll up and turned around to face Jeongin. “Of course, Innie. What’s going on?” he asked. 

“It’s about Jisung,” Jeongin said as he sat on Jacob’s bed, “I was talking to Seungmin last night and he asked if I could talk to you about going to the Headmaster. They think the Gryffindor team attacked Jisung for standing up for Hyunjin.”

Jacob was surprised that Seungmin had gone to Jeongin for help, but hopefully that meant the boys would be able to move past what happened and become better friends. “Who is they and what has Chan said about this?” he asked. 

“Seungmin, Chan, and Hyunjin,” Jeongin said, “well, at least, Seungmin thinks Hyunjin does, because he’s avoiding Jisung like the plague.”

Jacob nodded. “And what has Jisung said about everything?” he asked next. 

“He didn’t see the Bludger coming, so he has no idea,” Jeongin said, “but he apparently had a whole shoe print on his calf.”

Jacob nodded. “I’ll bring everything to the Headmaster and see what he can do. Thanks for telling me, Innie. And if Seungmin needs anything else you can always bring him right to me,” he said. 

Jeongin bit his lip. “He didn’t say anything about it to me, but I think they’re worried about Yugyeom finding out,” he said, “I think that’s why Seungmin was hesitant to talk to you directly. He’s harassing Hyunjin worse than ever, according to the grapevine.”

Jacob hummed. “The Headmaster will look into and possibly remove him as prefect but that can’t happen until they get some proof. I’ll talk to him,” he said. It seemed like when one problem disappeared, another reared its ugly head. 

“Thanks, hyung,” Jeongin said, relaxing a bit, “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Jacobsmiled tightly. “I’m sure everything would be just fine,” he said, “but before I get back to work, did _you_ need anything?” 

“Not really,” Jeongin said, “but you can help me think of my Halloween prank for Changbin this year if you want.”

Jacob raised his eyebrows. “You know I’m not supposed to recommend pranks, and I can’t get you into Ravenclaw Tower, but I have some spells I could teach you,” he said. 

“You’re the _best_ ,” Jeongin said, scooting closer to Jacob, “coolest Head Boy ever.”

Jacob sighed. “I’m not being Head Boy, I’m being your friend,” he said. He pulled his wand out of his pocket. “Promise me you won’t use any of these on anyone else?”

“I mean, it depends on what they do, but I only _plan_ on terrorizing Changbin,” Jeongin said, “if I use them defensively, that’s different.”

“Of course,” Jacob said. He knew a couple of jinxes that were much more enjoyable to the person casting them and taught them to Jeongin, even letting the younger boy practice on him a few times. They still had a few weeks before Halloween and Jacob was actually intrigued to see how this prank went. He didn’t have time to devote all of his attention to it as the following morning found him ascending the stairs to the Headmaster’s office, letter in hand. 

“Mr. Bae, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Sungjin wished he could say he was surprised to see Jacob Bae back in his office, but he couldn’t. Too much had been happening lately. 

“A concern of some students was brought to my attention and I wanted to pass on all of the information I know to you,” Jacob replied, “Some students believe that the injuries Han Jisung suffered were intentional. He stood up to the team for one of his friends and was injured shortly after. He denies seeing the Bludger coming towards him, but there was a shoe print on his leg. They believe the captain Kim Yugyeom is responsible. And I have been told that he is continuing to harass the student Jisung stood up to him about.”

“Kim Yugyeom is a prefect,” Sungjin said, “this is a very serious accusation to make, Mr. Bae.” He had been hearing whispers among the portraits of something similar, but he wanted to see how Jacob would defend his claims. 

“I understand, but that also puts him in a position of protection. Not many people can challenge him except those above and if those below him decide to try, they end up in the hospital wing with an injured knee and a boot print on their leg. Unfortunately I have no proof of this happening, but I’m sure that with a little investigation, someone could find out the truth,” he said. 

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Sungjin said with a nod, satisfied, “I’ll look into it right away. You may be dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir. Before I go, I just wanted to give you this,” Jacob said. He stood from his chair and handed Sungjin the letter. 

“Hm? Oh, just leave it on the desk; I’ll take a look at it tonight,” Sungjin said, already distracted with work again.

Jacob frowned but placed the letter on the desk. With shaky hands, he unpinned his badge from his robes and set it next to the letter before turning around and walking towards the door. 

Without looking up, Sungjin picked up his wand and returned both items to Jacob’s pockets. He wasn’t going to allow his Head Boy to give up on himself like this. 

Jacob was distracted on his walk back to the Slytherin dormitory. It was going to be hard to start letting go of everything, but it hopefully wouldn’t be that much of a problem considering he hadn’t held the position for that long. He would have to tell Chan tonight too, he didn’t like keeping anything from his boyfriend for too long. It wasn’t until he got back into the room that he noticed an extra weight in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and was shocked when he pulled out his badge. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him for a moment, but he knew this was the Headmaster’s doing. He pulled the letter out as well and set both items on his desk before pulling out his wand. “ _Incendio_ ,” he whispered angrily, causing the letter to ignite and burn itself into ash. Why was the Headmaster so resistant to his wish to step down?

Chan was glad he was a prefect, because it meant he knew the passwords to all the dorms and could surprise his boyfriend whenever he wanted. However, he ended up the surprised one when he walked into Jacob’s room and saw what he thought was his desk on fire. “Cobi!” he cried, running over to extinguish what turned out to just be a piece of paper. 

Jacob jumped and was about to chastise whoever just stormed into his room until he realized it was Chan. “It’s fine, Chan. I did this on purpose,” he said quietly. His anger had burned itself out with the fire. 

Chan carefully swept the ashes into a wastebasket and turned back toward Jacob. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked softly. It wasn’t like Jacob to go around burning up his papers. 

“I tried to give the Headmaster my badge and that letter and they both ended up back in my pocket,” Jacob replied, “and I know he won’t talk about this with me again so I’m stuck. I don’t understand why he’s making this so hard.”

“Maybe he’s trying to make you have more faith in yourself,” Chan said. He guided Jacob to sit on the bed. “I know I said I’d support you in giving it up, and I will, but I think we both know that it isn’t an unbiased decision.”

“I bit off more than I could chew and everyone knows that. If they had faith in me, they wouldn’t have threatened the position when everything was happening with Minho. And that’s still not even fixed!” Jacob said, “they need someone in this position that _all_ of the prefects listen to. And more importantly they need someone who _wants_ to be in this position.” 

“Did Headmaster Park threaten the position?” Chan asked, “or was it just Professor Park? Because it really seems like Headmaster Park wants you there, or at least won’t accept your resignation under duress.”

“I’m not under duress,” Jacob said tiredly, “it was just Professor Park. I don’t think the Headmaster even knows about the threat.” 

“You are absolutely under duress,” Chan argued, “these things are getting pushed on you that really shouldn’t be, and that haven’t been on others in the past. If that hadn’t happened, would you still want to resign?”

“I...I don’t know,” Jacob said, “but shouldn’t they have someone in this position who can handle these types of problems? I’m not supposed to go running to the Headmaster with everything that comes up.”

“These types of problems aren’t the types of problems that are your responsibility,” Chan said gently, “your job is to deal with the minor things that the professors don’t have time to deal with, not to prevent the students from straight up murdering each other.”

Jacob sighed sadly. “I can’t even solve these problems as a friend. I haven’t talked to Minho in _ages,”_ he took a shaky breath, “I know you’re fighting for me and I really appreciate the support, but I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“Something is wrong with Minho,” Chan said, “and I’m not saying that to be a dick. Something’s going on with him and if he won’t talk to you, that’s not your fault.”

Jacob’s shoulders slumped. “Even Jeongin said I’m not fit to be Head Boy. There’s gotta be something if even he doesn’t think I’m doing my job,” he said quietly. 

“Jeongin said that when he thought you hated him,” Chan said, “if you ask him now, I bet he’ll tell you you’re the best.”

“He said I was the best the other day when I taught him a few jinxes to use for a Halloween prank,” Jacob said with a small smile, “but that wasn’t being Head Boy, that was just being a friend.” 

“You don’t know if he saw it that way,” Chan said, “you can be both, especially if you’re helping him break the rules.”

“Maybe that’ll be what gets the Headmaster to listen to me,” Jacob said wistfully, “I don’t know, Chris, I really just don’t know.”

“I think,” Chan said, gently pushing Jacob over on the bed so that he could lay behind the older boy and cuddle, “that you should just put it out of your mind until this all blows over. It’s out of your hands now.”

Jacob sighed again. “I’ll try,” he said quietly, “I have to admit, it is a lot easier to forget about stuff like this when you’re around.”

Chan smiled softly and kissed the back of Jacob’s neck. “I’m glad I can help,” he said. 

Jacob carefully rolled himself over so he could face Chan. “Thank you for being amazing,” he whispered, “I think I would have lost my sanity a long time ago if I didn’t have you.”

Chan smiles and leaned forward to kiss Jacob softly. “You’re the amazing one,” he said.

Jacob faked a stern look. “Don’t say that. You walked in on me burning a letter, I don’t think that counts as being amazing,” he said. 

“Being angry doesn’t mean you aren’t still amazing,” Chan said softly, “you’re allowed to have emotions, Cobi.”

Jacob’s expression softened. “I love you so much,” he whispered. He wrapped his arms around Chan and pulled him closer. 

Chan hummed. “I love you too,” he mumbled. Three years ago, he would have never dreamed of this. He thought Jacob would go on one date with him to be nice, then shove him back into the friendzone where he belonged. “Hey,” he said quietly, “let’s get married after graduation.”

Jacob’s eyes widened slightly. “Is this you proposing to me?” he asked with a small smile. 

“No, because I don’t have the right stuff with me, but it can be me making my intentions clear,” Chan said, flushing a bit, “I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”

Jacob turned serious for a moment. “Chris, I love you a lot and I mean that with my whole heart, but this is a big commitment and we’re still young. I want you to make sure you’re absolutely serious about this,” he said. 

“I have never been more serious about anything in my life,” Chan said firmly, “the only reasons it’s not a proposal is because I want to do that right.”

Jacob’s smile widened. “Then let’s do it right,” he said. He sat up and reached for his wand. “Give me your hand.”

Chan easily held his hand out. “You’re not gonna do an Unbreakable Vow, are you?” he asked a little nervously, “you know those are illegal. Your dad would _kill_ us.”

“I would never,” Jacob said seriously, “besides this isn’t really up to my dad.” He took Chan’s hand gently in his own. He whispered an incantation and watched as an emerald and gold banded ring wound itself around Chan’s finger. 

“Your dad is the head of the Auror Division,” Chan said weakly, “his opinion on us breaking the law does kind of matter.” Chan didn’t mention that he was definitely going to ask Jacob’s parents for their blessing before actually proposing for real. He brought his free hand up and skimmed a finger over the ring now on his finger. “Alright, now you,” he said seriously, picking up his wand.

“You’re the only person he’d let me break the law for,” Jacob assured. He happily held out his hand to Chan. “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” he added giddily. 

Chan took Jacob’s hand in his own shaky fingers and quietly repeated the same incantation. He watched as a similar band of silver and obsidian wove its way around Jacob’s finger. It was much less conspicuous than his own, but he thought Jacobwould prefer it that way.

Jacob slowly moved his fingers, reveling in the cool feeling of the metal against his skin. “And they come off just like regular rings,” he explained, but he didn’t have any intentions of taking it off. 

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on ever taking it off,” Chan said, crossing his legs to sit properly. “God, Jisung is never going to leave me alone about this,” he commented.

Jacob smiled widely. “Are you going to tell him the truth?” he asked quietly, “I’d understand if you wanted to keep it a secret.” 

“Of course I will,” Chan said, “why wouldn’t I? We’ve let this stay subtle for way too long, Cobi. I want to flaunt you.”

Jacob turned his head down in a failed attempt to hide the blush that spread through his cheeks. “Are you sure you want to flaunt me with everything going on?” he asked. 

“If there’s one person in this entire building that could fend off anything, it’s you,” Chan said proudly, “Minho? Not a problem. Yugyeom? Not even close. I’m not worried.”

Jacob took Chan’s hand in his own. “How do you have so much faith in me?” he asked seriously. 

“Because I know you,” Chan said, “you’re my best friend and I see how skilled and capable you are in _everything_ you do, Cobi.”

Jacob smiled and leaned forward and kissed Chan gently. His thumb absently rubbed the back of his boyfriend’s hand. “I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he said. 

“Alright, you clearly need some sleep,” Chan said, “obviously, I’m the luckiest one here. I got the hottest guy on the whole campus.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. He put his wand down and wrapped his arms around Chan’s waist. With no effort at all, he laid down, pulling his boyfriend on top of him. “I’ve seen the hottest guy on campus and I can assure you, it’s not me,” he said. 

“You’re right, it’s definitely Hyunjin,” Chan joked, “it’s the veela blood.” He leaned down and kissed Jacob’s nose.

Jacob wrinkled his nose. “No veela in the world could ever compare to you,” he said seriously. 

Chan flushed deeply and tried to pull away from Jacob. “I’m divorcing you,” he whined, “you’re too cheesy.”

Jacob chuckled and tightened his grip. “Sorry, babe, but a deal's a deal. I’m yours for the rest of your life and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“I don’t like you anymore,” Chan whined with a pout, “too much love, I don’t deserve it.”

“You deserve all the love I could give you and more,” Jacob said. He tried to sit up enough to kiss Chan, but he couldn’t quite reach. He pouted up at his boyfriend. 

“Shut up,” Chan mumbled. He let himself fall forward, flattening out and squishing Jacob underneath him.

Jacob hummed happily. “Tell me what the boys think of the ring when they see it,” he requested.


	9. Chapter 9

“What is _that_?” Jisung shrieked, grabbing Chan’s hand and yanking it up to his face, “where did you get this?” “From Jacob,” Chan said evasively, pulling his hand away.

Jisung’s eyebrows shot up. “Jacob hyung gave you a ring?” he asked incredulously, “hyung, you sly, sly dog. Where did he even get it?”

“I gave him one too,” Chan said with a pout, “it was my idea, actually. He just...conjured it, which I didn’t even know was a thing.”

“You gave him a ring too?” Jisung asked, voice rising with every syllable, “I mean we all knew you guys were into each other, but we didn’t know it was this much.”

“We’ve been dating since fourth year, Jisung,” Chan said dubiously, “I know we’ve kept it subtle, but I didn’t think we kept it that hidden.”

Jisung gave Chan a look. “I wouldn’t exactly call it subtle, hyung,” he said, “but you gotta tell Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Felix the minute they get back.”

“I’m sure you’ll do it for me before I even can,” Chan said with a sigh, “it’s not that big of a deal, really. They’re just promise rings.”

“I don’t care what you think they are, but those are definitely not just promise rings,” Jisung said pointedly, “and I promise to keep my mouth shut for approximately thirty seconds when they get back.”

“They’re absolutely just promise rings,” Chan argued, “we’re still in a school and a lot can change between now and graduation. I love Jacob, but I’m not going to trap him in that much commitment just yet.”

Jisung raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright,” he said, “whatever you say.”

“I mean, I don’t plan on letting him go anytime soon, but I’m not going to make him spend the rest of his life with a high school sweetheart either,” Chan said, a little hesitantly.

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Look, I don’t know Jacob hyung at all, but if I had to offer my professional opinion, he’s not going anywhere. Whenever you guys are together, the way he _looks_ at you. It’s like he gets tunnel vision. And before you start denying it, I see you guys on all your lunch dates,” he said. 

Chan couldn’t help it; he flushed deeply at Jisung’s words. “I’m sure it’s not like that,” he mumbled.

“Oh, please that’s exactly how it is. Even ask Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Felix. And you look at him the same way,” Jisung said, “quite frankly it’s gross, but I can get over it for you.” He pulled a face of disgust.

Chan didn’t tend to feel insecure about his relationship a lot, but with it on display like this, he was a little nervous. Were people, better people, going to start pursuing Jacob now that he was officially off the market?

Jisung reached over and poked Chan’s shoulder. “Hey I recognize that face. It’s your thinking too hard face. Knock it off,” he said. 

“That’s literally impossible,” Chan said automatically. He couldn’t shut his brain off, especially when it came to Jacob.

“You really do love him,” Jisung commented unnecessarily, “I’m really happy for ya, hyung. If you have any dating tips, I’m all ears.”

“Yeah,” Chan said with a soft sigh, “I really do. He’s perfect.”

“Don’t you dare think this means you guys can start being cute and making out all over the place,” Jisung warned, “don’t need you scaring the kids.”

“You are one of the kids,” Chan said, rolling his eyes, “Hyunjin is a whole six months older than you, _kiddo_.”

“Age is but a number,” Jisung said, putting on his best voice of wisdom, “and I don’t exactly want to be scarred either with your lovey dovey nonsense.”

“I’m sure you’ll be having your own lovey dovey nonsense soon,” Chan said knowingly, “now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find my _boyfriend_.”

“With who?” Jisung mumbled to himself with a pout. “Have fun, hyung. And tell Jacob hyung I said he better take care of you or else,” he added louder.

Chan waved at his younger friend over his shoulder, rolling his eyes fondly. Jisung would find his boy someday, closer than he may think.

Seungmin was walking through the hallways on his way to the library from Charms. His mind was running a mile a minute trying to remember all of the work he had to get done. 

Yuto and Kiyong were in one of the many alcoves lining the hallway, talking in low voices, when the older boy spotted Kim Seungmin over the other’s shoulder. “Hey! Kim!” he called, trying to keep his voice quiet, “c’mere a second.”

Seungmin whipped around when he heard his name. He balked when he saw two of the Gryffindor prefects in an alcove. He knew this game and he wanted no part of it, but he also knew everything would be much worse if he ignored the prefects. “What do you want?” he asked shakily. 

Yuto pulled Seungmin into the alcove, not to intimidate him but to make sure this conversation is private. He and Kiyong exchanged glances before the younger boy started talking. “We need to talk to Jisung,” he said quietly.

Seungmin was shaking now. “W-Why?” he asked timidly. They had already shattered Jisung’s knee, what else could they want?

“We know what really happened with his knee,” Kiyong continued quietly. He knew the guilt was evident on his face. “And what’s really been happening with Hyunjin. We want it to stop.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe you for a minute. He sent you to do this didn’t he? I don’t care what he wants, you aren’t hurting my friends anymore,” he said. 

“You can fuckin’ be there if you want,” Yuto said, “we just need to talk to Jisung. If he doesn’t want us to take it to the Head Boy, we won’t.”

Seungmin narrowed his eyes slightly, but he knew he didn’t come across as intimidating. “He wants you to leave Hyunjin alone. That’s it. So whatever you have to do to get your captain to stop, that's what he wants.”

“He’s not gonna stop just because we ask him to,” Yuto said, “if anything, he’ll throw us under the bus for everything. The only way to get him to stop is to take it as far above him as possible, but we don’t want to do that without Jisung knowing the truth. I heard through the grapevine that he thinks it was an accident still.”

“Yeah, he does. We tried to tell him otherwise, but he’s covering for your asses for some reason,” Seungmin said, gaining confidence, “you go talk to whoever you have to to get this fixed and I’ll tell Jisung the truth.”

“I mean, the truth should come from us, don’t you think?” Kiyong said, “if you tell him, he still might not believe you. Plus, if he’s gonna deck me, I’d rather it not be in public.”

Seungmin sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell him you wanna meet and if he agrees fine and if he doesn’t, I’m not gonna convince him,” he said reluctantly. Quite frankly, the older boy deserved to get decked in public for what he did to Jisung, but Seungmin wasn’t brave enough to say that aloud. 

“Thanks,” Kiyong said sincerely, offering Seungmin a small smile, “we’re going to apologize to Hyunjin too, but that’ll be easier once Yugyeom’s taken care of.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Seungmin said, “was that all you wanted?” He didn’t want to spend anymore time with the prefects if he could help it. 

“Yeah, that’s it,” Yuto said, backing up to let Seungmin out of the alcove, “just...the sooner the better, yeah? We all want this over with.”

“We all do,” Seungmin said. He snuck past the two Gryffindors and hurried back to the dormitory instead. He didn’t want to be anywhere the prefects could find him again. Thankfully Jisung was in the common room when he got back so he could get this conversation over with. “Hey, Sung, I saw two of the members of your team and they wanted to talk to you,” he said. Jisung’s head shot up and he glared at Seungmin. “Absolutely not,” he said flatly.

Felix, who was sitting next to Jisung, picked his head up. “You should at least see what they want, Sungie,” he said.

“No, those fuckers are still bothering Hyunjin. I want nothing to do with them,” Jisung said. “And I’m not sure if it’s some sort of trick or not,” Seungmin said. “Exactly!” Jisung agreed. 

“Okay, so take a friend,” Felix said, “you never know, maybe they want to help end it. We all know Yugyeom’s thumb is pretty big.”

Seungmin looked nervously between Jisung and Felix. He didn’t know if he trusted the prefects and he wasn’t sure if it was worth the risk. “It’s up to you, Sung,” he said. Jisung let out an exasperated sigh and buried his head in his hands. 

“Whatever they’re doing to Hyunjin is getting worse,” Felix said quietly, “he cries himself to sleep every single night and I’m fairly certain there were marks on his neck the other night. Yugyeom is starting to make this actually physical and we have a chance to stop it, Sung.”

Jisung looked up at Seungmin. “I have to try. I don’t trust them either, but this is the closest we’ve gotten to stopping them. I can’t let them keep hurting Hyunjin. Even if they don’t stop altogether, I’d rather they hate me than him,” he said decidedly. “I’ll go with you,” Seungmin said, he didn’t want to see any of his friends get hurt more. 

Felix was glad that his friend had made the right decision. If he hadn’t, he would’ve gone to find Yuto and Kiyong himself. One of his best friends was suffering and he was going to stop it any way he could. 

“When did they want to meet?” Jisung asked. “I’m not sure,” Seungmin replied sheepishly, “I didn’t really hear them out. They just said as soon as possible.”

“We can go find them during lunch,” Felix suggested, “hopefully Yugyeom will be distracted enough that we can hear them out without him noticing.”

Jisung nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that,” he agreed. He hadn’t sat at the Gryffindor table for lunch in weeks so this would certainly be interesting. 

Kiyong and Yuto had sequestered themselves at the end of Gryffindor table, citing a project that the younger needed help with, and were keeping an eye out for Jisung or any of his friends. When they finally found them, they were happy to see that the boys made a beeline for them.

Jisung glared at the boys he once thought were his friends when he spotted them. Seungmin followed closely behind as they made their way to the table. “What do you want?” he asked, opting to stand rather than waste time trying to sit down. 

Yuto glanced over at the other end of the table, where Yugyeom was eating. “Sit down,” he hissed, “unless you want the captain to catch onto this.”

Jisung huffed and painstakingly sat down. He had to admit he was a little slower for the dramatic effect but the older boys didn’t need to know. Seungmin sat next to Jisung, nervous eyes darting down the table to where Yugyeom was sitting. 

Once Jisung had sat down, Yuto puffed himself up and turned a bit, keeping an eye on Yugyeom so that Kiyong could talk to Jisung. The fifth-year boy took a deep breath before getting straight into it. “I broke your knee,” he said, “Yugyeom told me to.”

Jisung’s eyes widened and he had to take a moment to register what Kiyong said. “I don’t want your apology. You ruined my ability to play for the rest of the season and maybe even next year, and there’s no fixing that. But my friend is crying himself to sleep and isolating himself because _your_ captain thinks he’s entitled to something that isn’t his. So if you’re really sorry, you’d stop him,” he snapped. 

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” Kiyong said, “you and I both know that whoever tries to go against Yugyeom will get thrown under the bus for all of it if he finds out and he’ll get off scot-free. Yuto and I are fully prepared to go to the Headmaster and take whatever he gives us in order to get Yugyeom to finally stop, but we thought it was only right for you to find out the truth from us, not from your friends or the Headmaster. We tried to go against Yugyeom when he first started all this stuff with Hyunjin, but he threatened Yuto’s sister and it’s just,” he took a deep breath, “it’s easier to let it happen to someone that you barely know and therefore can’t care about than to be the reason it happens to someone in your family.”

“So why the sudden change of heart? You obviously don’t care that much about Hyunjin so where did all this guilt come from?” Jisung asked, “you didn’t feel guilt about me until now. I bet you laughed while you stomped on my broom too.” Chan had told him all about his broom and Jisung really believed he had just landed on it, but now he knew the Hufflepuff was right. 

“Hey, the broom thing was all Yugyeom,” Kiyong said, “ever since you confronted him, everything he’s been doing and threatening to do has been getting a lot more violent. It’s one thing to ignore him being a verbal annoyance, but it’s going too far now and we’re done. With some of the things we can attest to him saying, we can probably get him expelled.”

“Oh now you’re done,” Jisung said sarcastically, “I’m so glad you finally got a conscience once everything started to affect you. I don’t care who you have to go to or what you have to do to stop him as long as he leaves Hyunjin alone.” 

“Look, man, I’m not saying what we did was right or that we couldn’t have done things differently, but I was twelve when he started this shit. You’re twelve years old and some guy tells you that if you don’t keep your mouth shut, he’s gonna hurt your best friend’s baby sister, what would you do? All I’m trying to do now is fix it,” Kiyong said, a little angrily.

“Well, what do you do when you’re fourteen and you try to protect your friend and you get your knee shattered by the people you trusted like your brothers? I know this is a problem and I want it fixed too,” Jisung said, “just make sure he stops hurting Hyunjin.”

“It was only one knee and it was just me,” Kiyong said with a heavy sigh, “no one other than Yugyeom and Yuto even knows that it wasn’t an accident. I mean, they know but not for sure, you know? It doesn’t matter. We’re gonna take this to the Headmaster as soon as we can, alright?”

“Good,” Jisung said, slowly beginning to stand up, “I hope you get what’s coming to you. And stay far away from me. I’ll know if you went to the Headmaster or not without talking to either of you again.” 

“Wait, fuck, Jisung,” Yuto tried to warn, but he wasn’t fast enough. “What’s going on over here, boys?” Yugyeom asked, clapping a heavy hand down on Jisung’s shoulder. 

“Don’t touch me,” Jisung snapped, trying to shake Yugyeom’s hand off of his shoulder. He was shaking and he couldn’t even bring himself to look up at the seventh year. The boy who he had looked up to, turned out to be the one who ruined his season and stomped his broom to pieces. 

“Might want to be careful how you talk to me, Han,” Yugyeom said, “or you might find yourself fucking up your other leg too. And you two, you know the rules about fraternizing outside of team and outside of House. All of you, get lost. Don’t let me catch you together again.”

Seungmin leapt up from the bench and took a few steps back. Jisung glared at Yuto and Kiyong. “Don’t worry. This won’t ever happen again,” he said flatly. He turned around and stalked out of the Great Hall. 

Yugyeom glared after Jisung, eyes narrowed. The kid was an absolute thorn in his side. It might be time to teach him another lesson soon.

Seungmin paused when Jisung didn’t turn down the corridor to head back to the Hufflepuff dormitory. “Are you coming, Sung?” he asked. “No, I’m gonna go for a walk. I’ll be back later,” Jisung said, already heading in the opposite direction. 

Hyunjin couldn’t remember how he had stumbled upon his little sanctuary. He recalled having seen Yugyeom in the hallway and darting to get away from him. He’d stopped in that one part of the seventh floor corridor, tripping back and forth frantically to find a place to hide, when he’d all but fallen backward into his little hideout. He’d been there every day this week, hiding from Yugyeom and Jisung alike. The room had shown itself to be malleable and bend to whatever he needed, so he had set it to lock out anyone but him.

Jisung had known about the Room of Requirement long before he had ever stepped foot in Hogwarts. He had made it his mission to find the room and it had taken him nearly his whole first year. Even though many people knew about the room, he kept it to himself for occasions like this. He was always open about what was making him upset, but today was one of those days he just needed to be completely alone. He walked down the seventh floor corridor and was happy to find it completely empty. What he wasn’t happy to find however was that the door would not reveal itself to him when he walked over. 

Hyunjin was crying again. One would have thought that he’d have run out of tears by now, but apparently not. Yugyeom had caught him today and boy, had he been angry. Hyunjin had been avoiding him for nearly a week now, of course he would be mad. The bruising starting to appear around the base of his neck was evidence enough.

Jisung paced back and forth and eventually a door revealed itself in the middle of the stone wall. Sighing softly, Jisung walked over and turned the knob. But the door was locked. He tried again and the door wouldn’t budge. Why wouldn’t it open? He needed this room so how could it keep him out? Angrily he pounded on the door before reaching into his pocket for his wand. 

Hyunjin jumped a foot in the air when someone suddenly started pounding on the door. Had Yugyeom somehow managed to find him? He had to hide. Wiping his face, he ducked behind a bookcase.

“Alohomora,” Jisung said. To his pleasant surprise the door clicked and swung open. Jisung stepped into the room and was completely confused. Usually the room was small, with a single table and chair, and a broom sitting on top of it that he could clean and care for. Today however it was much larger, with several dark corners and different places to sit. 

Hyunjin did his best to stay quiet and hidden, not wanting Yugyeom to find him. He was certain that any moment now, he was going to be yanked from his hiding spot, but it never happened. He clapped a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle the sound of his breathing.

Jisung kept his wand drawn, not knowing what he was going to find. “Is there anyone in here?” he called. He knew the only way he could have been locked out was if something was in here. 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened as he recognized the voice. That wasn’t Yugyeom at all. No, it was someone much, much worse for him to run into: Jisung.

“Lumos,” Jisung whispered. It seemed the further into the room he went, the darker it got. Maybe he was going crazy. There was absolutely nothing else in here except him. The only thing he hadn’t looked behind was an old bookshelf in the corner. With a sigh, he walked slowly over to it to check just in case. 

Hyunjin heard footsteps approaching and quickly ducked his head down, hoping that his dark hair and dark robes and the dark shadows would be enough to keep Jisung from seeing him. He was supposed to be staying away from the Gryffindor at all costs.

Jisung rounded the bookcase. He lowered his wand and leapt back when he saw someone crouched on the floor. “Who are you?” he asked, “why didn’t you answer me?”

“Go away,” Hyunjin mumbled. He hoped his voice was muffled enough for Jisung to not recognize it. It was certainly hoarse enough anyway.

Jisung’s eyebrows furrowed. He took a few small steps towards the boy sitting on the floor. “Why are you hiding?” he asked. 

“I said, go away,” Hyunjin repeated, turning himself away from Jisung. He hated this. Why couldn’t anyone just leave him alone?

Jisung’s eyes widened when the boy spoke again. He knew that voice. “Hyunjin? Hyunjin, it’s okay, it’s me,” he said. 

“Go _away_ , Jisung,” Hyunjin said, breaking into sobs again, “I don’t want to see you.”

Jisung froze. “Oh,” he said quietly, “I just wanted to help.” He took a few steps back. First he lost his team, and now he was losing his friends. He didn’t know what to do and he couldn’t stay in the only place he wanted to be.

“I d-don’t want you to g-get h-hurt,” Hyunjin sobbed, digging his fingers into the fabric of his pants. He couldn’t handle it if Jisung got hurt because of him, again.

“It hurts more that you don’t want me around. You’ve been hiding, literally hiding, from me for weeks. I miss you so much, Hyunjin, and it really fucking hurts that you keep pushing me away. I’m your friend. You’re supposed to come to me when you’re upset, not hide,” Jisung said. 

“He said he would hurt you,” Hyunjin cried, finally looking up at Jisung, “and I know you got hurt because of me the first time, Sung. I couldn’t let that happen again!”

“I don’t care about him. I care about you,” Jisung said, “I care about making sure you’re okay, but I can’t do that when you’re hiding from me in here. He could break my knee over and over and I wouldn’t care as long as I could make sure you’re okay. Please stop hiding from me. It’s not good for either of us.”

“He’s going to hurt you and Chan and Felix and Seungmin and everyone else and it’s never going to _stop_ ,” Hyunjin sobbed, burying his face in his knees again, “this is never g-going to end.”

Jisung carefully lowered himself to the floor to sit next to Hyunjin. “Some of the other boys on the team said they were gonna go to the Headmaster. They’re gonna tell him everything that happened and that’s going to put an end to Yugyeom hurting any of us. But until that happens you need to stay with us so we can keep you safe,” he said. 

“Or I can stay here and away from everyone and everything and never talk to or see anyone again,” Hyunjin said, a little miserably, “it’s better for everyone.”

“It’s not better for you,” Jisung said gently, “and it really isn’t better for the group. We miss you a lot Hyunjinnie. We want you back so much and we’d do anything.” He reached over and gently laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

Hyunjin flinched away from Jisung’s hand. “Please don’t touch me,” he said in a small voice.

Jisung pulled his hand back as if he’d been burned. “We really miss you. I know everything is really hard and really scary right now but that’s what friends are for. We’re here to help you and protect you. You don’t have to hide from us anymore,” he said. 

“You don’t _get it_ , Jisung,” Hyunjin said, “I don’t want to talk to anyone, I don’t want to look at anyone, I don’t want to be around _anyone_ . Just once in my life, _I want to be left alone_.”

Jisung sighed sadly. “Okay,” he said quietly. He pulled himself to his feet, wincing when he twisted his knee weird. “You know where we are when you want us back.” He turned around and made his way back towards the door. 

As soon as Jisung had left, Hyunjin started sobbing again. He hated that he couldn’t trust his own friends anymore, but that was just it. The situation his own blood had trapped him in meant that he couldn’t trust anyone.

Jisung didn’t know where to go. He wasn’t wanted by his own house, he wasn’t wanted by his own friends, hell he didn’t even want to be around himself. It dawned on him that there were no practices or classes going on on the pitch so that was where he headed. It was an obvious spot for him to choose, but he didn’t expect anyone to come looking for him. 

It took a while, but Hyunjin finally managed to pull himself together enough to return to the Hufflepuff dormitory. He walked as quickly as he could, pulling his robes up to cover the bruising on his neck, and tried to hide his splotchy face as he raced into the dormitory and into the fourth year room.

Seungmin looked up when the common room door opened. He was going to greet Hyunjin, but the boy was already in the bedroom before he could get the words out. “Should I go check on him?” he asked. 

“I would but I have to go work on a project with some Ravenclaws,” Felix said, “good luck.”

Seungmin exhaled shakily. “Here goes,” he said. He stood up and went to the fourth year bedroom and knocked on the door. “Hey, Hyunjinnie, can I come in?” 

Hyunjin grunted, pulling his blankets up to his ears. He’d barely even bothered to take his shoes off and was still wearing his clothes and robe.

Seungmin peaked his head into the room and wasn’t surprised to find him curled up under his blankets. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked quietly. 

“I just want it to end,” Hyunjin said quietly, “I’m just...so tired.” He sighed and rolled over to face Seungmin, peering at him out of the shadows of his corner of the room.

“Oh, Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin mumbled. He stepped into the room and shut the door. “Everything is gonna be over soon.” As long as the Gryffindors went through on their promises. 

“Is my life always going to be like this?” Hyunjin asked miserably. He didn’t want to feel like this forever. 

“No, it’s not,” Seungmin said, “not everyone is going to treat you like this.” He shifted on his feet, not sure if he should go closer or not. 

“You like me for me, right?” Hyunjin asked in a small voice. If even his best friend was influenced by his mother’s gene, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“Of course I do. I like you because you’re smart, and supportive, and one of the best friends I could have asked for. And the best part about you is your big heart. You took a chance on a random Muggleborn who was lost and confused and it was the best thing that could have ever happened. I like you for you more than anything and it makes me so sad to see you hurt like this,” Seungmin said. 

Hyunjin sat up, using the edges of his blanket to wipe the tears off of his chin. “I don’t know if I can handle this all the way until June,” he said.

Seungmin watched Hyunjin with sad eyes. “He won’t be here that long. He shouldn’t even be here by next month,” he said. 

“He might be gone, but I’m never going to be able relax,” Hyunjin said, “people are always going to treat me like this. I’m always going to be able to - to feel him _touching_ me, Min.”

Seungmin flinched and turned his head down. “I don’t know what to do to help you,” he said sadly. He felt like such a failure. His friend was suffering so much and there wasn’t a single thing he could do.

“I don’t know what to do to help me either,” Hyunjin said, “I wish I could just take all the memories of every single thing he’s done and said to me and just...get rid of them.”

Seungmin paused. “We could use obliviate,” he suggested slowly. He knew Chan would kill them if he found out and it would be dangerous if it didn’t work according to plan.

Hyunjin actually considered it for a moment. “No, no, that could go so wrong,” he said, shaking his head, “I don’t want to forget everything. I don’t want to forget you.”

“Wouldn’t it be worth it?” Seungmin asked quietly, “you wouldn’t have to deal with any of this anymore.”

“No,” Hyunjin said immediately, “never. He would have to take this so much farther for me to ever even consider taking that risk. No, Seungmin, no way.” Without his notice, the blanket had fallen off of his shoulders to his waist.

Seungmin gasped when he saw the dark bruises on Hyunjin’s neck. Before he could stop himself, he rushed across the room and over to his friend. “Oh my God, Hyunjin, what did he do to you?” he asked nervously. 

Hyunjin’s hands immediately flew up to cover his neck. “Nothing,” he said evasively, “it only happened once.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me. What happened?” Seungmin asked again. He was done letting Hyunjin hide things from them. 

“I’ve been hiding and avoiding him all week and he got really mad,” Hyunjin said quietly, “I think it’s obvious how he reacted when he caught me.”

“Oh, Hyunjin,” Seungmin murmured. He raised a hand, but caught himself and dropped it back to his side. “We’re going to stop him and we’re going to make sure no one else ever treats you like this. I promise,” he added. 

“I wish I could hug you without panicking,” Hyunjin said. He missed Seungmin’s hugs. 

Seungmin smiled sadly. “I’ll be here whenever you’re ready. We all will be,” he said quietly. He hated what Yugyeom had done to his best friend. 

Hyunjin’s hand twitched and he dug his fingers into his robes. “Will you lay with me tonight?” he asked quietly. 

“Of course,” Seungmin agreed easily, “but why don’t you get changed first so you’re more comfortable?” He walked over to Hyunjin’s dresser and pulled out more suitable clothes to sleep in. 

Hyunjin nervously pulled his robes over his head and took the clothes. Seungmin already seemed to know what his concern was, because he turned around to give Hyunjin his privacy. The older boy tried to change as quickly as he could, but it was difficult with so much bruising. Yugyeom wasn’t hitting him, no, his grip was simply tight and Hyunjin bruised easily. 

“Everything okay, Hyunjinnie?” Seungmin asked after a few minutes. He didn’t want to turn around, but he was nervous it was taking his friend so long to get changed.

“Yeah, you can turn around now,” Hyunjin said as he pulled his shirt down and leaned over with a groan to peel off his socks. 

Seungmin turned around with a frown. He wordlessly walked over and helped Hyunjin with his socks before climbing into bed. He made sure to give Hyunjin plenty of room, but stay close enough to hopefully be comforting.

Hyunjin felt comfortable laying on the side near the wall, knowing Seungmin would never trap him. He curled on his side, facing his friend. 

“Wake me up if I get too close,” Seungmin requested. He wasn’t really that tired yet, but he knew he would fall asleep soon. 

Hyunjin hummed. He extracted a hand from inside his bundle of blankets and let it fall between them, finding and squeezing Seungmin’s hand tight. 

Seungmin held Hyunjin’s hand like his life depended on it. “Get some sleep and I’ll be here when you wake up,” he whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small warning for bullying in the beginning

Across the castle, Chan was out on a patrol when he caught sight of red-lined robes turning the corner ahead of him. “Hey, you can’t be out past curfew,” he called, jogging to catch up with the delinquent Gryffindor.

Jisung scowled. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to outrun the prefect that spotted him, but he couldn’t afford to lose House points on top of everything. Sucking in a breath, he decided hiding was his next best bet. 

Chan turned the corner just in time to see a head duck down behind a statue. However, the silver glint of crutches was a giveaway. “Jisung, come out of there, it’s just me,” he said, lowering his wand. 

Jisung couldn’t tell if he was relieved or not to be found by Chan. With a sigh, he stepped out from behind the statue, head hung low. 

“What are you doing out this late, Sung?” Chan asked gently. He pocketed his wand and stepped closer to his friend. 

“I was down at the pitch and I didn’t start heading back until it’s dark and you know how slow I am on these damn things,” Jisung replied. It wasn’t even a lie. 

“Why were you down on the pitch?” Chan asked worriedly, “were the Quidditch guys harassing you?”

“No, no, no,” Jisung said quickly, “I just knew it would be quiet down there. The walk is just a lot longer than I remember.” 

“Even with the Ravenclaws practicing tonight?” Chan asked, having seen the whole group of them returning to their tower. 

“I went down after they already went into the locker room,” Jisung said, “just take my house points already and send me back.”

Chan stepped closer, finally getting a good look at Jisung. “Have you been crying?” he asked quietly. 

Jisung took a step back from Chan. “No, I’m fine,” he said shortly, “can I please go back to my dorm now?” 

“Jisung,” Chan said stubbornly, “no secrets. That’s how we got in this mess in the first place. Why were you crying?”

“It doesn’t matter. No one’s bothering me and no one’s getting hurt,” Jisung said, voice catching at the end of his sentence. He kept his head down and stared at the floor. 

“It does matter,” Chan said softly, pulling Jisung into a loose hug, “Hyunjin used to tell me the same thing and look at where we are now.” 

Jisung stiffened, but was at least grateful for the opportunity to hide his face. “He’s the one you should be talking to. He’s the one that’s hiding from us and not telling us what’s going on,” he said sadly.

Chan sighed. He knew that Hyunjin had been hiding, but he hoped it wouldn’t get this bad. “We have to be careful with Hyunjin,” he said quietly, “he’s in a lot of pain and it’s going to be hard to get him to open up to us. I’m trying to figure out how to get Yugyeom to stop but in the meantime, we just need to be supportive, okay? He’ll tell us eventually.”

“He doesn’t want to talk to us. He doesn’t even want to be around us!” Jisung said. He pulled away from Chan and looked at the prefect with glassy eyes. “You should be spending your time fixing what’s going on with Hyunjin and not lecturing me.”

Chan closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m not lecturing you, Jisung,” he said softly, “but you have to understand that Hyunjin has experienced life differently than we have. He has always had people wanting to be close to him just because of his heritage and its physical attributes, and now there are people taking that urge to violent extremes. I don’t think it’s so much him not wanting to be around us as it is him wondering if we don’t legitimately want to be around him.”

Jisung narrowed his eyes. “He told me to my face that he just wants to be left alone. Until I hear something different from him, that’s what I’m going to believe,” he said. Hopefully Chan would get sick of arguing and send him home, all he wanted to do was go to bed. 

“And I’m not surprised,” Chan said, “he feels so guilty about what happened to your leg and I’m sure Yugyeom is threatening to do worse if Hyunjin tries to resist or avoid him. I’m sure you would isolate yourself too, if the tables were turned.”

“Yeah I would, and I’d be pissed if no one listened to me,” Jisung said, “please hyung, I get it. I’m gonna be supportive of Hyunjin, just from a distance. Now can I go to bed? I’m really tired and the dorm is all the way on the other side of the castle.”

“Do you want me to walk you back?” Chan checked his watch, “I’m off patrol now, but I can make sure no one else docks you any points.”

Jisung frowned. It was almost a risk he was willing to take, but Yugyeom would kill him if he lost them anymore points and he wasn’t keen on pissing off the seventh-year again. “Sure,” he said. He headed off towards the dorm, focusing on not breaking down again. 

Chan walked Jisung back to Gryffindor Tower in silence, squeezing the boy’s shoulder before letting him go up to bed. He needed to fix this, and soon.

Jisung couldn’t even bring himself to say goodnight to Chan. He painstakingly made his way up the stairs to his room. He shed his robe and tossed it over his chair. Not even bothering to get changed, he climbed into bed and wrapped himself around a pillow. He wasn’t surprised when a fresh round of tears started to spill down his cheeks. 

Hyunjin didn’t want to go to class the next day, but he had no choice. He had missed enough class periods as it was. He did his best to be surreptitious and never travel the halls without someone else, but when he suddenly had to go to the bathroom near the end of the day, he really had no choice. Hyunjin was nearly safe, nearly back to the classroom, when he was suddenly slammed into the wall.

Changbin was calling it an early day. He had been in the library every day this week trying to catch up and he had finally done it. Grabbing his books, he set off towards Ravenclaw Tower. 

Hyunjin cringed away from Yugyeom. The older boy hadn’t said anything yet, but he knew whatever he did say would be something vile and disgusting. 

Changbin heard an angry voice before he rounded the corner and wasn’t surprised to see Kim Yugyeom towering over a very terrified Hufflepuff. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, dropping his voice to sound more intimidating. 

Hyunjin cowered more when he heard a new intimidating voice. “It’s none of your fucking business, birdbrain,” he heard Yugyeom snarl, “fuck off.”

Changbin pulled his wand out of his pocket. “This is very much my business. You’re obviously scaring the poor kid and I’m not about to let that continue. So why don’t we all go our separate ways and maybe I’ll pretend I didn’t see you here,” he growled. 

“I told you to fuck off,” Yugyeom said. He left one hand on Hyunjin’s chest and used the other to point his wand at the stupid Ravenclaw. Hyunjin whimpered. 

“If you’re going to threaten me, do it like a man,” Changbin challenged. He took a step away from the pair, hoping to draw Yugyeom far enough away from the boy that he could run. 

Yugyeom snorted and rolled his eyes. “If you don’t mind, you’re kind of interrupting something,” he said, turning away from the Ravenclaw and back to Hyunjin. 

“ _Flipendo_ ,” Changbin muttered under his breath. He smiled to himself when Yugyeom was knocked backwards onto the floor. He quickly put himself between the boy and the Gryffindor and kept his wand drawn. “I would leave while you still have the chance,” he said darkly. 

Hyunjin slid to the ground with a whimper, watching between the Ravenclaw boy’s legs as Yugyeom picked himself up and dusted himself off. Luckily, the bell signaling the end of classes rang at that moment and Yugyeom gave him a final glare before disappearing into the mass of students. 

Changbin slipped his wand into his pocket and turned around. “Are you okay?” he asked, extending a hand to help the boy up.

Hyunjin took a deep breath and let the boy help him up. “Yeah,” he said quietly, “thanks for your help.”

“No problem,” Changbin said, “I’m sorry he was bothering you. I know he can be a real douche and I hate seeing him bully people.”

“It’s not new,” Hyunjin mumbled. He straightened his robes and rubbed the center of his chest, where Yugyeom had been holding him. 

Changbin raised his eyebrows. “He’s been bothering you for a long time? I’m really sorry to hear that. If you need me to turn him into a toad so he leaves you alone I can,” he said seriously. 

That made Hyunjin giggle. “He’d probably find a way to slime into my bed like that,” he joked, “but thank you.”

Changbin cracked a small smile. “Or maybe Jackson could use him as a specimen in Care of Magical Creatures,” he said conspiratorially, “oh, I didn’t even introduce myself, I’m Changbin.” 

“Hyunjin,” he replied, “and really, thank you. No one’s ever stepped in like that before.”

“Really? I’m so sorry,” Changbin said. He reached into his pocket and pulled a spare sickle out. He charmed it before handing it to Hyunjin. “If you ever need help again, call me with this.”

Hyunjin took the coin and inspected it before putting it in his pocket, knowing he would never use it. He couldn’t involve poor Changbin in all of this. 

“There aren’t a lot of people who will stand up to Yugyeom and there’s even fewer people he’s afraid of. Don’t try to fight him alone,” Changbin said. 

“Thank you,” Hyunjin said in a small voice. For some reason, even with his low voice and his clear abundance of skill, he wasn’t intimidated by Changbin.

Changbin nodded. “Do you want me to walk you to your next class?” he offered. He knew he just met Hyunjin, but he had an overwhelming desire to keep him safe, especially from Yugyeom. 

“I’m done for the day,” Hyunjin said quietly, “thank you though. You should go to your own class; I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Changbin smiled softly. “I was just heading back to my dorm from the library. I don’t have any more classes so I’m giving myself the rest of the day off,” he said. 

“Would you mind walking me to the basement then?” Hyunjin asked tentatively. Normally, he wouldn’t ask this of someone, but Changbin seemed so nice and he was still nervous that Yugyeom would ambush him the second he rounded the corner.

“Not at all. I need a good reason to not sit in my room for the rest of the day,” Changbin said, “and I’ll take any chance I can get to put Yugyeom in his place.”

Hyunjin relaxed a bit and smiled thankfully. He finally stepped out of the alcove and fell into step next to Changbin, heading toward the Hufflepuff common room.

“So what year are you?” Changbin asked conversationally. He had forgotten how awkward he was with new people until now and he hoped Hyunjin didn’t notice. 

“I’m a fourth year,” Hyunjin said. He didn’t know what else to say. It felt kind of….disengaged to just repeat Changbin’s own questions back to him.

“Aw, a baby,” Changbin teased. He probably wasn’t even that much older than Hyunjin, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Oh?” Hyunjin asked, “how old are you then?” Changbin was significantly shorter than him, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the boy was a seventh year.

“A fifth year,” Changbin replied. He drew himself up to his full height, but it still wasn’t enough to compare to Hyunjin.

“I’m probably only a few months younger than you then,” Hyunjin teased, “my birthday’s in March.”

“A few? Try seven,” Changbin said defensively, “and height means absolutely nothing to me so don’t even go there.” 

“I think it’s nice,” Hyunjin said, “it makes your voice a lot less intimidating. My friend Felix is the same way.”

“You tryna say I’m not scary?” Changbin asked, feigning offense. He tried to glare up at Hyunjin, but it came out more as a pout and definitely wasn’t helping his case. 

“It’s a good thing,” Hyunjin assured him, “the less intimidating, the better.”

Changbin pouted more. He had always relied on being a little bit scary to avoid being walked all over, but it looked like people have avoided him for completely different reasons.

“I’m sure you’re plenty intimidating to other people, but I dunno,” Hyunjin said with a shrug, “maybe because you helped? I just can’t see it.”

“I guess I’ll have to step my game up,” Changbin joked. He would never try to scare Hyunjin intentionally; the boy was incredibly sweet and clearly had enough on his plate already. 

“Please don’t,” Hyunjin said with a small laugh. This was probably the easiest he’d gotten along with someone, ever. His smile faded when he realized that Changbin was probably just charmed by his heritage and not actually interested in being friends.

Changbin frowned when Hyunjin’s smile slipped off his face. He didn’t like seeing the boy upset. “I guess I could make an exception for you if you promise to not give away my secret,” he said lightly. 

“What, that you’re not scary?” Hyunjin teased, “I guess I can do that.”

“You better. I can’t have people around this school actually knowing I’m a softie. It’ll ruin the image I’ve created over the past five years,” Changbin said. His smile found its way back onto his face. 

Hyunjin found himself flushing lightly. Changbin had a really nice smile and it was making his tummy flutter. “Thanks for walking me back,” he mumbled when they reached the door to the Hufflepuff common room.

Changbin was actually disappointed when they reached the Hufflepuff dormitory. He had really enjoyed talking with the younger boy and couldn’t believe their conversation had flowed so naturally. “Yeah, of course,” he said, “and I’m serious about using that coin. I don’t want him to think he can keep taking advantage of you.”

“Thank you, Changbin,” Hyunjin said, “I’ll use it if I get the chance, alright?” He knew it would be difficult to sneak it anyway, so hopefully Changbin would never become involved again.

Changbin nodded. “It was nice to meet you although I wish the circumstances were better,” he chewed on his lip as his mind battled with itself about what to say next. “I, uh, spend most of my time in the library if you ever want a change of scenery.” He sucked in a breath and turned his head down to look at the floor the second the words were out of his mouth. He had just met the kid, why was he expecting them to become friends?

“Trust me,” Hyunjin said with a tight, sad smile, “you don’t really want to be friends with me. Thanks though, Changbin, really.” With that, he mumbled the password and disappeared into the common room.

Changbin was about to say something else, but the door closed too quickly. With a sad sigh, he turned around and headed back to Ravenclaw Tower. He didn’t know why he had such a strong urge to protect Hyunjin, but he was determined to make sure the boy stayed safe no matter what. 

“Hey, you disappeared from class,” Felix said, coming over to Hyunjin but stopping a safe distance away, “I was worried. Is everything okay?” Hyunjin nodded. “Yeah, I had a run-in with Yugyeom, but this Ravenclaw kid stepped in and got him to fuck off before it got too bad.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “Whoa. That’s good to know that there’s someone Yugyeom will step down to,” he said, “but are you okay?”

“There’s not, he only left me alone because Changbin hexed him away and the bell rang,” Hyunjin said, “but yeah. It was pretty tame in comparison to the other day.”

“He hexed Yugyeom?” Seungmin asked incredulously, “that’s so brave.” He didn’t want to ignore the fact that Yugyeom had gone after Hyunjin again, but he didn’t think his friend would want to talk about it. 

“All it did was throw him a few meters down the hallway,” Hyunjin said with a shrug, “I think it was mostly the bell that did it, honestly. Changbin was really nice though. He even walked me back even though he’s a Ravenclaw and it’s the wrong direction.”

Seungmin raised an eyebrow. “That is really nice of him. That’s really great of him to stick up for you and walk you back,” he said. He kept a close eye on Hyunjin’s face and couldn’t help but notice a small smile he hadn’t seen in weeks.

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said with a sad sigh, “I mean, we all know the real reason he did it, but it was a nice change of pace, I guess.”

Seungmin frowned. “Not everyone’s like that,” he said gently, “I bet he would have tried to get you to spend more time with him if that was how he really felt.” 

“The charm wears off eventually,” Hyunjin said pessimistically, “he probably realized by the time we got back that he had been tricked into helping me.”

“Oh, Jinnie,” Seungmin mumbled, “at least we know he’s someone who’s willing to help keep you safe.” He was trying to see the positive side of things, but he understood Hyunjin’s hesitance. 

Hyunjin hummed. He made his way over to the couches and flopped down on one, hoping to take a nap.

Seungmin wanted to reach over and run his hands through Hyunjin’s hair, but he knew the boy was still hesitant to touch. Instead he simply laid his hand down on the couch in case his friend wanted to hold on.

Jeongin was waiting outside of Ravenclaw Tower to ambush Changbin when he returned. “Where have you been?” he asked as he hung off the older boy. 

Changbin grunted when Jeongin threw his whole body at him. “Why? You miss me?” he teased, “I was in the library and then I walked a Hufflepuff back to the dormitory.”

“Ooh, a Hufflepuff? Which one?” Jeongin asked teasingly. It wasn’t often that Changbin was so kind to someone outside of their friend group.

Changbin rolled his eyes. “His name is Hyunjin. He was nice, but I haven’t even met a Hufflepuff that wasn’t,” he replied. 

“Hwang Hyunjin?” Jeongin asked dubiously, “you should stay away from him, Binnie. You never know what’s real with him.”

Changbin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?” he asked, “he seems fine. A little timid, but I would be too if I had Kim Yugyeom breathing down my neck.” 

“He’s a nice kid, but he’s parted veela,” Jeongin said, “just be careful around him. Don’t get too close or you might get dragged into things you don’t really want.”

“You know better than to judge people based on their heritage,” Changbin said gently. He detached Jeongin from his neck and turned around to head up the stairs. 

“This is different than being a Squib though,” Jeongin said as he followed Changbin up the stairs, “he can’t really control it, which means it sucks for him and all the other parties involved.”

“He probably has enough people looking at him like he doesn’t belong and I’m not gonna add to that. Why are you so worried though? It’s not like I’m going to chase him and make him be my best friend. I walked him to the dorm, that’s it,” Changbin said. 

“I’m just warning you to be careful,” Jeongin said with a shrug, “he seems nice, but you need to be careful. You know I wouldn’t judge anyone without reason, Binnie.”

“What has he done?” Changbin asked curiously. While he really didn’t want to see the Hufflepuff get hurt, Jeongin was much higher on his priority list. 

“He’s never done anything to me,” Jeongin said, “I’ve never even talked to him. But I’ve heard a lot of people say that he’s tricked them into doing things for them or that they suddenly found themselves attracted to him out of nowhere. It sets everyone up for bad things.”

Changbin just looked at Jeongin. “I’ll keep an eye out, but I have a lot more important things to worry about,” he said simply. He wasn’t worried about Hyunjin in the slightest. 

Jeongin hummed and flopped on Changbin’s bed. “Did you see Jacob’s ring?” he asked, sitting up on his elbows.

“Jacob’s ring? No, I haven’t. Although I have to admit I don’t really pay attention to our friend’s jewelry,” Changbin replied. He put his books on his desk and shook his head fondly when he noticed Jeongin making himself right at home. 

“He and Bang Chan have matching rings in House colors,” Jeongin whispered conspiratorially, “they’re finally admitting that they’re seeing each other.”

“They have matching rings?!” Changbin asked, “I can’t believe Jacob didn’t say anything. I mean we already knew anyway, but he’s _never_ going to hear the end of this.

“Oh, yeah, they really threw subtlety to the wind,” Jeongin said, “he’s claiming they’re just promise rings, but I know better.”

Changbin snorted. “Those aren’t promise rings,” he agreed, “where did he even get them?” He had been waiting for something like this ever since he heard Jacob and Chan spent most of their summer together. 

“He figured out some incantation to make them,” Jeongin said, “some deep Restricted Section magic, I don’t even know.”

Changbin whistled lowly. “Not surprised Chan is the only one he would go into the Restricted Section for. Mr. Head Boy isn’t gonna get away from this that easily,” he said, “I wonder how long he’s been planning that.”

“I dunno,” Jeongin said with a shrug, “it’s cute though. They’re cute. Our dads!”

Changbin laughed. “I love Jacob a lot, but I am not calling Chan ‘dad’ for him,” he gasped, “he didn’t even ask our permission!”

“They’re both adults,” Jeongin said, “and Jacob is absolutely my dad. Closest thing I’ve got anyway.”

“Seventeen does not count as being an adult,” Changbin said, “but I do think Jacob is a good dad.”

“It does in the eyes of the law,” Jeongin reminded him, “and honestly, I bet Bang Chan’s a good dad too.”

Changbin pushed Jeongin over so he could sit down on his bed. “I’ve never met Chan, but if he’s good enough for Jacob then he’s gotta be something pretty special,” he said. 

“I’ve only met him briefly, but he seems pretty nice,” Jeongin said, “I mean, he’s a Hufflepuff, so. That’s kinda their whole thing.”

Changbin hummed. “We’ll have to tell Jacob we want to meet him,” he said. He didn’t have any plans on bothering the Slytherin today, but that could definitely be an adventure for tomorrow. 

“He’s gonna think we want to threaten him,” Jeongin whined, “which, I mean, not false, but still. If he’s gonna have a boyfriend, we need to be able to bully him!”

Changbn chuckled and reached over to mess up Jeongin’s hair. “Yeah I’m sure you’d be absolutely _terrifying_ to Jacob’s seventh-year boyfriend. You let me know how bullying him goes and I’ll be over here minding my business.”

“I’m terrifying to most people,” Jeongin said, reaching up to fix his hair, “you know that.”

“Yeah, but once he gets to know you, he’s gonna realize you’re just a cute little kid,” Changbin said. He pinched Jeongin’s cheek gently, before pulling out his wand to clean off his desk. Even though he definitely didn’t need magic to organize, he took every opportunity he could to use it. More to prove to himself than anything that he was a capable wizard. 

“I am _not_ a little kid,” Jeongin grumbled, swatting Changbin’s hand away from his cheek. “Why are you so mean to me?”

“You want to bully a seventh-year and _I’m_ the mean one?” Changbin asked with a chuckle, “you know you’re kinda cute when you’re mad.” Another wave of his wand sent his Potions book out of sight and onto his bookcase.

“I don’t want to _bully_ him,” Jeongin said, rolling his eyes, “I just want to make sure he knows that if he _ever_ does anything to hurt Jacob, I’ll make those rumors about me a reality.”

“We can threaten him when we meet him properly,” Changbin bargained, “but for right now could you scoot over a little? You’re taking up my whole bed and I want to lay down.”

“Just lay on me,” Jeongin said, spreading himself out even more, “crush me, Binnie. I want to be a singularity.”

“You are easily the weirdest person I have ever met in my life,” Changbin grumbled. He put his last book away, before obliging to Jeongin’s request. “You’re too bony to make a comfortable pillow,” he complained when he laid down. 

“Good,” Jeongin mumbled, pillowing his head on his hands, “suffer.” He had missed playing around with his friends like this.

“Don’t make me kick you out,” Changbin growled. He was glad that Jeongin was doing a lot better and he hoped it stayed like this. 

“You would never,” Jeongin retorted. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Do you think Minho’s ever going to come around?”

Changbin paused. “I really don’t know. I’ve barely seen him and when I have, he’s been alone and usually has a scowl on his face. He doesn’t seem happy at all, but he also doesn’t seem like he wants any help,” he said sadly.

“I really hope nothing’s wrong,” Jeongin said, biting his lip nervously, “it was such a sudden change in demeanor; that’s not like him at all.” For all the time he’d known Minho, the older boy had always been very deliberate in his actions, not hotheaded as he had been lately.

“Something snapped and sent him tumbling off the edge. There’s no doubt about it. But as long as he’s not hurting anyone, I think it’s okay. I know he’s hurting himself more than anything, but I don’t know what to do. Last I knew from Jacob was that he had to talk to the Headmaster, but that’s it,” Changbin said. 

“I miss him,” Jeongin confessed, “I want him back, how he was before. He said he hated me, but I know that’s not true and I just want him to be normal again.”

Changbin sighed sadly. “I know, kiddo. I miss him too, but I don’t want to get my hopes up for getting him back,” he said quietly, “especially with Jacob leaving at the end of the year.” 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do once all of you graduate,” Jeongin said sadly, “I’ll be really lonely then.”

“Didn’t you make friends with a Hufflepuff?” Changbin asked, “And you still have me for a few more years. I think you’ll be able to find some new friends before I’m gone.” 

“Yeah, but Seungmin’s a fourth year,” Jeongin said, “and we’re more acquaintances than friends. I only see him once a week.”

“You could hang out with him more. And maybe he knows some other third years he could introduce you to,” Changbin said, “but don’t go running off with anyone too fast. I still want to see you for the next couple years.”

“I could never leave you,” Jeongin said, twisting his neck to look up at Changbin, “and you’re forgetting the part where the other people would have to want to be friends with me, which isn’t happening.”

Changbin frowned. “Well if you found Seungmin I’m sure you can find more people in the castle. And you found me so I know you can make more friends outside of your House,” he said, “and you know if anyone hurts you, you come right to me and I’ll take care of them.”

“I didn’t find you,” Jeongin said, “Jacob forced you to tolerate me until you liked me. And I didn’t find Seungmin either; he really found me.”

Changbin’s frown turned into a fond smile. “Well then we don’t have to send you out to find people. We have to send you out so you can be found by more people,” he said, “I could introduce you to a couple of third years that I know too.”

“None of the third years like me, Binnie,” Jeongin said, “it’s fine; I’ll live.”

Changbin sighed. He wrapped his arms around Jeongin and squeezed the boy tightly. “You better,” he mumbled. 

“I will, Baby Changbean, don’t you worry,” Jeongin teased, knowing how much Changbin pretended to despise the name.

Changbin growled and tightened his grip on Jeongin. Even with all of his teasing, Changbin could never really be mad at Jeongin.


	11. Chapter 11

A few nights later found Jeongin and Seungmin chatting animatedly as they returned from feeding the thestrals. Jeongin was telling the older boy about his plan to prank Changbin, while Seungmin was trying to convince him to use a Muggle prank instead, just to really mess with his friend. 

“He’ll see a jinx coming from a mile away,” Seungmin said with a giggle, “you need to do something he would never expect or know how to react to.” 

“All the Muggle pranks I’ve read about take so much time though,” Jeongin said, “I don’t have time to wrap his entire room in bubble wrap or something.”

“I could help you,” Seungmin offered. “Or I’m sure there’s some sort of spell that would make it a lot easier,” he added quickly. 

“I wanna do the one where you wrap stuff in plastic wrap and melt it together,” Jeongin said conspiratorially, “but it’ll take so much _time_.”

Seungmin hummed. “Isn’t there a spell that sticks stuff together? Changbin might think it’s the plastic and not realize he could take them apart with a counterspell,” he said. 

Jeongin shook his head. He knew Changbin and he knew the boy would think it was magic before anything. “Even with his mom, he doesn’t really do any non-magical stuff at home,” he said, “he would think it’s magic first.”

“Oh, his mom’s a Muggle? Wouldn’t he know about plastic wrap then?” Seungmin asked, slightly confused. He wasn’t quite sure how to best prank Changbin now.

“Ah, no,” Jeongin said, “his mom’s a Squib. I’m not really supposed to tell anyone so please don’t say anything. It's an open secret, but we don't talk about it.”

Seungmin immediately shook his head. “I won’t, I promise,” he said sincerely. He didn’t really know what exactly a Squib was, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not to ask. 

“It’s not a bad thing,” Jeongin said, “not anymore, but it’s the same sort of stigma that surrounds someone like Hyunjin. She’s not a witch, so people sometimes see him as less of a wizard. It’s honestly probably why he’s in Ravenclaw, because he works double what he needs to in order to prove himself.”

“Oh, I see. Hyunjin could really use a friend that understands what it’s like, but I won’t say anything,” Seungmin said, “I bet the plastic would really get him though.” He hoped he could steer the conversation back on track. 

“It’s different,” Jeongin said, “that wasn’t a good analogy to use. With Hyunjin, he’s half wizard and half something else. With Changbin, he’s full wizard, but his mom has no magic.” He wracked his brain to try and figure out how best to put it in Muggle terms. “It’s like...inheriting a chess set with broken pieces. You can play well, but no one thinks you can because they see your broken pieces and think you always lose.”

“Wow, that must be so hard,” Seungmin mumbled, “now I feel bad helping you prank him.” He knew it was all for fun and that Changbin probably wouldn’t get upset, but he still couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.

“Oh, I always prank him,” Jeongin said, “he’ll probably get concerned if I don’t.” That was when it dawned on him. “Oh my god, I should prank him by not pranking him.”

“Just do absolutely nothing? That’s not a bad idea. Maybe I’ll tell that to Jisung and hopefully he’ll give Chan hyung a break,” Seungmin said. Now that he was thinking about it, he hadn’t seen Jisung in a while anyway. 

“He would freak out if I just didn’t do anything,” Jeongin said excitedly, “thanks, Seungminnie, you’re the best!”

“I didn’t even come up with anything,” Seungmin said with a laugh. He couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his lips. Jeongin had never been comfortable enough with him to address him informally and it made him happy. 

“But you helped and that’s important,” Jeongin said seriously, “you’re a good friend, Seungmin.”

Seungmin turned his head down, slightly embarrassed. “We usually play chess on Friday nights if you want to join us. I haven’t seen Jisung in a while so I’ll doubt he’ll be there if that makes you feel better,” he said carefully. 

Jeongin considered for a moment. “You know, that actually sounds like a lot of fun,” he said with a small smile, “would your other friends be okay with me, though?”

“Of course they will. And I’ll plastic wrap all their books if they’re not,” Seungmin said mischievously, “come on, I bet they’re already set up.” He grabbed Jeongin’s hand and took off down the hallway.

Jeongin let himself be dragged down the hallway and into the Hufflepuff common room. Once they were there and everyone was staring at him, he felt self-conscious and hid himself behind Seungmin.

“Jeongin, this is Hyunjin, Felix, and Chan hyung,” Seungmin said, pointing out each of his friends, “I invited Jeongin to play chess with us and he’s gonna be on my team tonight.”

Hyunjin gasped in mock offense. “You mean you’re abandoning me?” he asked, “that’s so mean, Seungminnie!”

“We’re challenging you,” Seungmin announced, “I think I’ve taught you enough these past few years that you might be able to beat me. Does that sound okay, Jeongin?”

Jeongin nodded shyly, still hiding behind Seungmin. Was Hyunjin going to hate him for stealing Seungmin more than he already did? That would be...disappointing, to say the least.

Seungmin sat across from Hyunjin on the floor and tapped the spot next to him for Jeongin. He knew he was kind of throwing the boy to the wolves, but he knew his friends would be okay with him, especially since Chan and Felix knew everything. He would probably be having a long conversation with Hyunjin after this, but he didn’t want to worry about that right now. Instead, he focused all of his attention on setting up the board and waiting for Hyunjin’s first move. 

Jeongin sat next to Seungmin, watching the board carefully as they started to play. At one point, Seungmin was about to make a move when Jeongin stopped him and directed the piece elsewhere. Seungmin’s move would have put them right in the line of check, not that Hyunjin would have noticed, Jeongin thought.

“Nice catch,” Seungmin whispered. Jeongin had saved him from losing the game, which didn’t happen to him that often. “You’ve gotten a lot better, Hyunjinnie,” he commented. 

“It’s from watching you, Seungminnie,” Hyunjin commented as he picked off one of their knights. It wasn’t a tragic loss, from Jeongin’s perspective, but a loss nonetheless.

“I’m actually really impressed,” Seungmin said. He was glad he had Jeongin on his team or he would have lost ages ago. He wasn’t really sure where his focus had gone. Even though he had taught Hyunjin a lot of tips, there were a few of his own personal tricks that he kept to himself, but he was still only winning because of Jeongin. 

Seungmin seemed to be lost in his own head, so Jeongin reached across him to move one of their pieces. “Check,” he said softly.

Seungmin didn’t realize what had happened until he got a good look at the board. He gasped quietly and looked up at Hyunjin, waiting for what the older boy would do. 

“What? Wait, Felix, what do I do?” Hyunjin asked, looking confused. The blonde boy peered over his shoulder and shrugged, making him turn to Chan with a pleading look on his face. Chan rolled his eyes fondly and moved them out of check.

“Hey, that’s not fair! That’s three against two,” Seungmin said with a pout. He crossed his arms and tried to look mad. 

“It’s fine,” Jeongin said, placing a hand on his arm, “we’re winning.” He slid one of their rooks over, effectively trapping the other team’s king. “Checkmate.”

Seungmin’s pout turned into a wide smile. He was actually incredibly impressed by how good Jeongin was at chess.

“You’re really good,” Hyunjin said, looking at Jeongin with wide eyes, “screw Seungmin. Can _you_ teach me how to play?” Jeongin smiled shyly. “It’s just ‘cause I play with Jacob a lot,” he said.

“Oh, now who’s abandoning who?” Seungmin teased. He was surprised how friendly Hyunjin was being, especially considering how he had warned him about Jeongin at the beginning of the year. Maybe it was just Jisung who was afraid of the Slytherin. 

“Chan plays with Jacob a lot too and he’s not that good!” Hyunjin said, ignoring Seungmin. Jeongin bit back a grin. “That’s because Jacob lets him win,” he said, “I don’t let him go easy on me.”

Seungmin turned to look at Chan. “That’s so nice of Jacob hyung to go easy,” he commented, “maybe he could come play with us next week.”

Chan would have pretended to be offended, but he already knew that Jacob didn’t play full strength against him. It was nice to see that even Hyunjin was being nice to Jeongin though. Certainly, it was a nice change of pace from the first few weeks.

“I want to play him,” Seungmin said bravely, “I want to see how good he really is.” He was really just conspiring to get Chan and Jacob together more with the group, but hopefully the prefect didn’t catch on.

“Good luck,” Jeongin said with a snort. He glanced down at his watch with a sigh. “I should go,” he said, “don’t want to get caught after curfew.”

Seungmin was actually a little sad that Jeongin had to go, but he didn’t want the boy to get in trouble. “I’ll walk you out,” he said, pulling himself to his feet. 

“Actually,” Jeongin said as he got up, “I was hoping Chan would walk me out.” He wasn’t going to pass up a chance to threaten his best friend’s boyfriend.

Seungmin paused and looked at Chan. “Oh alright. Night, Jeongin. I hope you had fun and maybe we can do this again soon?” he asked hopefully. He loved seeing all of his friends get along. The only thing they were missing was Jisung. 

“Yeah, totally,” Jeongin said with a nod, “I’ll see you on Friday.” He waited for Chan to lead the way out of the common room and pulled him into an alcove just to the side of the door. “How is your arm?” he asked.

“Oh, uh, it’s fine. Thanks for asking,” Chan replied. He hadn’t expected Jeongin to make small talk and he wondered where this was going. 

“Great,” Jeongin said, plastering a fake smile on his face, “I just wanted to let you know that Jacob is my best friend in the whole entire world. I’m sure you’re aware of all of the rumors about me and the fact that they’re not true.” He leaned closer to Chan, dropping his voice but keeping the smile. “If you ever do _anything_ to hurt him, I will _make them_ be true. Every. Last. One.”

Chan’s eyes widened and he sputtered for a moment. He hadn’t expected the third-year to be capable of such a threat and he didn’t doubt it to be true. “I-I won’t hurt him,” he stuttered, spinning the ring on his finger nervously. 

“Great!” Jeongin said chipperly, smile never wavering, “good night, Chan!” With that, he turned and headed toward the dungeons, leaving the prefect in the alcove.

Once Jeongin had disappeared from view, Seungmin turned his attention to the chess board and began fixing the broken pieces. He would have to remember to ask the Slytherin what he wanted Chan for. 

Chan had to shake himself back to reality once Jeongin disappeared. For a mere thirteen years old, the boy sure knew how to be terrifying. Shuddering, he let himself back into the common room and returned to the game.

Seungmin had just finished resetting the board when Chan came back. “Hyung, do you want to play another game?” he asked. 

“Ah, no, I think I’m just gonna head to bed,” Chan said with a soft smile, “don’t stay up too late, okay? Jinnie has a game in the morning.”

Seungmin pouted. “Alright,” he said, “did you want to play again Hyunjinnie?” 

“Nah, Chan’s right,” Hyunjin said, “I should get to bed. Gotta rest up if we wanna run Ravenclaw into the ground, right?” He wished them all good night and headed upstairs. A few days later, he was sitting with Felix and Seungmin, eating lunch, when there was a sudden commotion over at the Gryffindor table. A group of guys was standing, talking among themselves angrily. Hyunjin shrugged and was about to turn back to his food when Felix got nosy and asked the boy sitting next to them, fifth year Choi San, what the commotion was. “Oh, you didn’t hear?” he asked, “Kim Yugyeom just got expelled.”

Seungmin’s mouth dropped open. “Expelled? He’s gone? Like really gone?” he asked in disbelief. He snuck a look at Hyunjin, still not entirely sure how to react.

“Oh yeah,” San said with a nod, “apparently, Nam Kiyong and Adachi Yuto went to the Headmaster and offered to take Veritaserum and give up everything about what Yugyeom had been doing. They got him for the attack on Han Jisung, and for harassing our Hyunjinnie.”

“They really did it,” Seungmin mumbled. His eyes scanned the crowded Gryffindor table for Jisung, but he couldn’t find him in the sea of red. 

Hyunjin felt frozen. This couldn’t be real. His nightmare...was ending? No way. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw Yugyeom being escorted out with his own two eyes, and even then, he probably would still be doubtful. 

“Hyunjinnie, it’s all over,” Seungmin said happily. It was taking all of his self control not to wrap his friend up in a tight hug. “Everything’s gonna get better.” 

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin whispered, suddenly standing and grabbing his things, “I-I have to go.” He practically sprinted out of the Great Hall and into the nearest bathroom he could find. Locking himself in a stall, he slid to the ground, practically hyperventilating. 

“Wait, Hyunjin!” Seungmin called, but the boy was already gone. “Oh no. I thought he would feel better now that Yugyeom was gone.”

Hyunjin frantically dug through his pocket, trying to find the coin that Changbin had given him. There was a metallic clang as it fell from his robes and onto the floor. He grabbed it and held it tight, hoping Changbin would come help.

Changbin was working on an essay in his room, when a sudden sense of urgency fell over him. He didn’t know what was going on at first, but he immediately grabbed his wand and rushed out of the room. Halfway down the stairs it dawned on him: Hyunjin needed him. He picked up his pace and raced through the castle, the magic of his coin pulling him towards where the younger boy was. He didn’t pay any attention to the people that gave him funny looks as he raced by. When he got to the bathroom, he entered slowly, not wanting to scare Hyunjin. Luckily the bathroom was empty, save for the one locked stall Changbin knew contained who he was looking for. “It’s just me, Hyunjin,” he said gently. 

Hyunjin pushed the stall door open, looking up at Changbin with wet eyes. He wanted to apologize for calling the boy away from his work for what was really nothing. He shouldn’t be this upset over someone who could only really be called his abuser being expelled. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Changbin said, slowly lowering himself to the floor, “I’m right here and everything’s gonna be okay.” He gave Hyunjin a few minutes to calm down before speaking again. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Yugyeom got expelled,” Hyunjin mumbled, dropping his head back against the wall, “and I know that’s a good thing but I just feel so damn guilty.”

Changbin smiled sadly. “It’s gonna take some time to get used to everything and I think that’ll help. Even though none of this is your own fault, it’s okay to feel guilty. It’s not your fault that he treated so horribly that you feel guilty he got caught. It’s gonna take a while to learn that’s wrong, but take it at your pace. And don’t be afraid to rely on your friends for support,” he said gently. 

“He just...he had friends, and family, and I bet he was going to have a successful career, and I ruined all that for him,” Hyunjin said miserably, “all because I couldn’t keep my fat mouth shut.”

“It was his actions that ruined all of that for him. You were just caught in the middle. I don’t know you very well and I don’t know the extent of what he did to you, but I have an idea. And I can’t speak for your friends, but that takes a lot of courage to say something about and I’m so proud of you for sticking up for yourself, even if it was just telling someone,” Changbin said. 

“If I hadn’t told stupid Jisung, none of this would have happened,” Hyunjin mumbled. He shook his head, letting hair fall into his eyes and hide his face. “I should’ve just let it happen.”

Changbin sighed sadly. “I’m so sorry you feel like that. I’m sure he was hurting more people who didn’t have the courage to say something like you did and who are grateful for what you did. You helped a lot more people than you realize. I know it’s hard to see those positives for yourself,” he said carefully. 

“I’m not even the one that said anything. It was all Jacob and two of the Gryffindor Quidditch players,” Hyunjin said. He picked at a stray thread in his robes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called you here. I just needed some sort of neutral party.”

“No, I’m glad you did. I would rather you not be alone right now. I can’t even imagine how hard everything is for you and you deserve support,” Changbin said. 

“Yeah, but I bet you were busy or eating lunch or something,” Hyunjin said, “I’m really sorry, Changbin, I should be able to handle this by now.”

“I gave you the coin for a reason. It was so you could have help when you didn’t want to call your friends. If I didn’t want to help you, I wouldn’t have given you the coin,” Changbin said honestly. 

“I shouldn’t need help with something stupid like this,” Hyunjin said, “I’m ruining your day by pulling this shit.”

“It doesn’t matter if you should or shouldn’t, just that you do. And you’re not ruining my day,” Changbin said gently, “I’ve never given a coin like this to any of my closest friends. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”

“I’m scared,” Hyunjin admitted, “what if it doesn’t stop? Or what if other people are mad at me? Jisung’s already furious.”

“It’s okay to be scared and I don’t blame you at all,” Changbin said, “if it doesn’t stop, then we go after the next people that bother you, and if this friend of yours really is angry at you, he’s not your friend.” 

Somewhere along the way, Changbin had fully sat down on the other side of the stall and the door had swung closed on them both. Hyunjin didn’t mind though. “It just felt like it would never end,” he mumbled, “and now it's gone so suddenly and I have no idea what to do.”

Changbin was about to respond when the door to the bathroom opened. He dropped his voice so whoever walked in couldn’t hear what he was saying. Jisung had learned the hard way that it was much easier to open and close doors with magic while he was still on crutches rather than trying to finagle the door open. With a huff, he entered the bathroom and paused when he noticed whispering coming from behind the closed stall door. 

“What he was doing to me was my normalcy for so long,” Hyunjin said, looking at Changbin sadly, “I almost don’t know what to do without it.”

Jisung froze. He recognized Hyunjin’s voice immediately, but he had never heard the voice that responded before in his life. He immediately realized that it wasn’t that Hyunjin wanted to be alone, it was that his friend wanted to be away from him. Jisung wasn’t about to wait for Hyunjin to come out so he repositioned his crutches under his arm and pulled out his wand to open the door. 

“It might take a bit, but I’m sure not living in constant fear will feel normal soon enough,” Changbin said with a small smile, “and I’ll help you.”

That did it for Jisung. He left the bathroom as quickly as he could and disappeared down the hallway, not even entirely sure where he was going. 

Hyunjin jumped nearly a foot in the air when he heard the bathroom door slam open and fall closed. They had been sitting here talking for too long and he was certain they were both late for class. “C’mon,” he said, getting to his feet, “we should get going.”

Changbin stood up and opened the stall door for them. “I’ll walk you to class. Professor Park likes me so he won’t mind if I’m a few minutes late,” he said. 

“I have to go all the way out to the grounds,” Hyunjin said, “by the time you get back, you’ll have missed everything. Thank you, though.”

Changbin nodded. “Alright,” he agreed reluctantly, “be careful and you know how to find me if you need me.” He walked Hyunjin as far through the castle as he could before having to part ways to go to their respective classes. 

“Thanks, Binnie,” Hyunjin said when they parted, feeling much better already. He headed across the grounds to the gamekeeper’s hut, where his Care Of Magical Creatures class was waiting for him. 

Jisung had become relatively proficient on the crutches, but they still slowed him down considerably. He almost threw the stupid things away at one point but he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk. Blindly he wandered through the castle, hoping to stumble upon somewhere that was secluded soon. 

Chan had been excused from class to go to the medical wing and get his cast removed. The satisfying pop of his wrist when he’d been able to move it for the first time in nearly two months was honestly so worth missing any material. Now, he was wandering the halls, waiting for the bell to ring, when he stumbled across a friend. “Jisung?” he asked, “what are you doing out of class?”

Jisung was pulled from his thoughts when he suddenly came face to face with Chan. “I just had to go to the bathroom,” he said defensively. He was about to retort with the same questions when he noticed Chan’s arm no longer had a cast on it. 

“Mhm, but there’s no bathroom on this floor and we’re nowhere near the stairs,” Chan said, raising his eyebrows. He even crossed his arms, giddy that he could execute such a simple motion again. 

Jisung narrowed his eyes. “Sometimes it’s really annoying that you’re a prefect,” he grumbled, “if you’re so worried about me missing class, wouldn’t you have sent me back by now?”

“Because I know you wouldn’t have left class without a reason,” Chan said automatically, “you’re supposed to be in Defense with Kang right now and I’ve seen you almost piss yourself to not miss anything before. Spill.”

“I really did go to the bathroom,” Jisung snapped, “I was just a little surprised to find Hyunjin hiding in there with someone I don’t know after he said he wanted to be left alone. If there’s anyone you should be worried about hiding stuff, it’s him.” Annoyance laced his tone, but he wasn’t worried about missing class. 

“He’s avoiding you,” Chan confirmed, “actually, he’s avoiding all of us at the moment. Yugyeom getting expelled seems to have really freaked him out. But he’s avoiding you specifically out of guilt and because Yugyeom had been threatening to hurt you again if he caught you two talking at all.” Once Yugyeom had been expelled, all of the seventh year prefects, plus Jacob and the Head Girl, Ravenclaw Park Jihyo, had been called into Headmaster Park’s office to be debriefed about the entire situation.

“Well he has a new friend now so I’m not worried about him. And I _told_ him I didn’t care about Yugyeom’s threats. It’s not my fault he didn’t listen,” Jisung said. 

“Jisung, you’re being an ass,” Chan said bluntly, “one of your best friends has been being harassed and getting hurt for years and you only seem to be upset that he cares so much about you that he would risk destroying your friendship to keep you safe from the person who had been terrorizing him for three years.”

Jisung took a few steps back from Chan. “I just wanted him back,” he said, “I just wanted my friend to trust me enough to come to me for help. Obviously I care about him a lot or I never would have confronted Yugyeom in the first place.”

“Have you tried thinking about it from his perspective?” Chan asked gently, “I know you want your friend back, but it’s important to understand why he’s making the decisions he’s making.”

“If there’s any other people in this school who know how awful Yugyeom is, it’s the Quidditch team,” Jisung said flatly, “I get that he thinks pulling away from everyone is better, but it’s not.”

“It isn’t just about how awful Yugyeom is,” Chan said, taking Jisung’s arm and leading him toward an alcove so they could sit, “it’s also about how pervasive his abuse was and how it infested itself in every corner of Hyunjin’s life. You guys didn’t have to worry about Yugyeom if you weren’t with him, but Hyunjinnie _never_ got the chance to let his guard down.”

Jisung put his crutches to the side, but close enough to grab quickly. He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. “I guess I won’t understand how he feels then,” he said, “maybe it would be better if you talked to him anyway.” 

“I think he’ll come around soon,” Chan said, “I think he’s just really overwhelmed right now. He ran out on Felix and Seungmin earlier.”

“At least he was with them to begin with,” Jisung mumbled to himself. He reached for his crutches and pulled himself up. “Just keep an eye on him for me,” he added a little louder. 

“Once he gets it in his head that it’s all really over, I’m sure he’ll come running back for you,” Chan said reassuringly, even though he knew Hyunjin. Once the boy realized everything was going to be okay, he would feel even more guilty for avoiding Jisung and avoid him even more to not have to have a confrontation. There would have to be some intervention involved in this one.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure,” Jisung said a little sarcastically. He knew it wasn’t Chan’s fault that Hyunjin was avoiding him, but it was hard not to take this out on him. 

“Sung,” Chan said with a sigh, “Hyunjin is your friend and he’s hurting and that’s not about you, okay? You just need to be patient.”

“Yeah, I will,” Jisung promised. There was no reason to head back to class at this point, so he headed off down the corridor the way he came.


	12. Chapter 12

Hyunjin was glad that Care of Magical Creatures was his last class of the day, because it meant he could go back to the castle and try to figure out his own head. He was happy, so happy, that Yugyeom had finally been punished for everything that he’d done, but he also felt so horrid and guilty.

Jisung would have loved to go down to the pitch for the rest of the day, but it was getting too cold to sit outside. He was also too scared to go back to the Room of Requirement so he opted to wander around the castle instead. 

Hyunjin dumped his bag off at the dorm, then wandered the halls aimlessly. It was still unreal to him that Yugyeom was gone.

Jisung froze when Hyunjin passed through the hallway he was heading towards. He immediately stopped and turned around. He knew the Hufflepuff wouldn’t want to talk to him, and he didn’t entirely blame him. 

Hyunjin looked up when he heard footsteps at the end of the hall. “Jisung!” he called out, “hey wait up!” He jogged to catch up with the Gryffindor.

Jisung froze, his entire body filling with dread. He didn’t bother turning around and used the sound of the Hufflepuff’s feet to determine how close he was. 

Hyunjin stopped once he was next to Jisung. “Sung, I owe you an apology,” he said, panting a little.

Jisung was slightly taken aback. “An apology?” he asked, turning to look up at his friend. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said, scratching the back of his neck, “I was pretty rude to you the last time we talked.”

“It’s fine, Hyunjin,” Jisung said quietly, “I get it. Everything’s been really hard for you and I understand why you lashed out. I just hope everything gets better now.”

“No, you were just trying to help and I was really mean to you,” Hyunjin said with a pout, “I shouldn’t have done that, regardless of how I felt. If you wanted to help, I should have let you, even if I didn’t really want it.”

“It’s alright, Jinnie,” Jisung said again, “you gotta do what’s best for you, even if that’s not coming to one of us.”

“It would have probably been good for me though,” Hyunjin said, “avoiding everyone was miserable, Sungie.”

“We just wanted what’s best for you,” Jisung said, “but you don’t have to worry anymore. Everything’s gonna go back to how it was soon enough.” 

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Hyunjin said, “I honestly feel kind of guilty. If I had never said anything, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt and I wouldn’t have ruined Yugyeom’s future.”

Jisung had to bite his tongue. “Don’t worry about me or Yugyeom, just worry about taking care of you,” he said instead. 

“Are we okay?” Hyunjin asked tentatively, looking at Jisung with wide eyes.

Jisung sighed. “We’re fine,” he said, “but tell me, who’s your new friend? The one you were talking to in the bathroom.”

“Oh, you saw that?” Hyunjin said, flushing slightly, “that’s Changbin. He defended me last week when Yugyeom was harassing me and he gave me this charmed coin after in case I needed help. When I found out Yugyeom got expelled, I didn’t want to upset anyone by saying I wished he hadn’t, so I went to the bathroom and I called him because he’s kind of a third party? I guess? I just felt that he wouldn’t judge me for anything.”

Jisung hummed and nodded. “I’m glad you found someone you can turn to,” he said as sincerely as he could. It wasn’t a lie that it stung a little, but he really did want what was best for Hyunjin. 

“I missed you though,” Hyunjin said with a pout, “Changbin’s not a friend, he’s just...I don’t know. It’s different.”

Jisung’s shoulders sagged. “I missed you a lot too,” he admitted quietly. 

Hyunjin hesitated then pulled his friend into a tight hug. “I’m sorry about your leg,” he mumbled.

Jisung hugged Hyunjin back. “It’s okay, Jinnie,” he said again, “the only thing it stops me from doing is Quidditch and I don’t even want to be around my team anyway.” 

“Well, they turned him in, right?” Hyunjin said tentatively, “that’s got to count for something. And I know Quidditch means a lot to you.”

“They took his side for too long,” Jisung said with a shake of his head, “but it’s all over now and that’s what matters.” 

Hyunjin pulled away from his friend finally with a happy sigh. ‘Will you come play chess with us tonight?” he asked.

Jisung paused. “I-I dunno, Jinnie,” he began hesitantly, “I’m really behind on my work and I missed class today so I know I’m gonna have an extra essay to do.” He wasn’t really worried about his homework, but he was nervous to hang out with everyone again. 

“Oh,” Hyunjin said in a small voice, “yeah, okay. Will we at least see you on Friday?”

Jisung knew he couldn’t hide from everyone forever. “Yeah, I’ll be around on Friday,” he agreed. 

“Do you want to sneak into the kitchens with me?” Hyunjin asked shyly, “I didn’t really get to eat lunch earlier.”

“I’m not exactly sneaky on these things, but I can keep watch,” Jisung offered. He was avoiding going back to the dormitory anyway so at least this gave him something to do.

“No one will be down there right now anyway,” Hyunjin said, “c’mon, let’s go get some food. I’m starving.”

Jisung sighed. “Alright, alright,” he said. He fell into step behind his friend and let the older boy lead him to the kitchens. It was nice to be talking to Hyunjin again, but he was a little scared the Hufflepuff would get spooked by something new and hide from them again. 

Hyunjin was glad that the elves in the kitchen loved him and would give him food whenever he asked. They were officially employed now and not required to do anything more than make food for mass meals, but they were always willing to make him a snack. He helped Jisung pull up a chair at the long table in the middle of the room and sat with him to wait.

Jisung hadn’t been down to the kitchens in a long time. He felt embarrassed that he couldn’t help like he usually did, but there was nothing he could do. His knee was starting to get sore from being on it all day anyway. 

Hyunjin hadn’t realized how hungry he was until there was a plate of food in front of him. “Thanks for hanging out with me, Sungie,” he said.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jisung said, a little distracted. He wasn’t particularly hungry so he was happy to just sit back and relax for a few moments. “You should talk to Chan hyung when you go back to the dorms. He’s been really worried about you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, “I ran out on Felix and Seungminnie before, so I have to apologize to them too. I know it’s gonna be all pity though.”

“They’re just worried about you. And you know how Felix gets. When one little thing goes wrong, he’s apologizing up a storm,” Jisung said, “Chan hyung knows better though. I think he’ll be okay.”

“He’s gone, we’re not supposed to be sad anymore,” Hyunjin said, “but it seems like everyone just wants to be sad for me even more. Like, oh, yeah, he was horrible, you poor thing. If you knew he was horrible, why didn’t you ever do anything for me?” He felt bad for dumping on Jisung, but he knew the boy would understand.

Jisung nodded. “Everyone’s willing to support their friends until it actually comes time to do something about it. People never want to get involved because it’ll affect them too so they resort to pity,” he said. 

“I know I was originally mad at you for trying to stand up to Yugyeom, and I still feel really bad about you getting hurt, but you’re the only person that ever tried to stand up to him. Well, you and Changbin,” Hyunjin said, “but you were the first!”

“That’s what friends do,” Jisung said with a shrug, “he’s been a dick since our first year, and probably even longer, but it was never worth getting kicked off the team to try and say something just to protect myself, but once I realized how horribly he was treating you, I knew something had to do something. And honestly, if I had paid just a little bit of attention that day at practice, I could have avoided the Bludger.”

“Everyone knows Nam Kiyong doesn’t miss,” Hyunjin said, shaking his head, “but thank you. I’m really glad you’re my friend, Sungie.”

Jisung mustered a small smile. “I’m really glad you’re my friend too,” he said, “and please...please don’t hide from me again. It’s not good for either of us.”

“It’s really hard to not feel guilty for all of this stuff,” Hyunjin said quietly, “even when it was happening, that was what I felt. More than pain, more than fear, it was always guilt.”

“He doesn’t deserve your guilt. He hurt a lot of people and he’s finally getting what he deserves. Yeah he was a great player, and yeah our team was as good as it was because of him, but he ruined the chance to finish his last season for himself,” Jisung said. 

“Doesn’t stop me from feeling bad,” Hyunjin said with a shrug, “he would always tell me that I was making his life so hard by cursing him to be attracted to me and stuff like that, and I guess it just got to me after a while.”

Jisung scowled. “Never once has he taken responsibility for his actions. I’m glad he finally got what was coming to him,” he said. 

“I told Seungmin about it once and he called it gaslighting,” Hyunjin said, “I did some research on it and I thought he was wrong because it wasn’t exactly false, but I guess maybe he was right.”

“Nothing Yugyeom has ever said was true. He used who you are against you and that’s unforgivable no matter how much he tried to make it seem like it was your fault,” Jisung said. 

“I did curse him though,” Hyunjin said, “not intentionally, but my entire existence, the entirety of who I am, is a curse, and there’s nothing that can change that fact.”

“Have any of our friends treated you like he did and blamed it on you?” Jisung asked gently. He would give anything for Hyunjin to not hate who he was because of what other people had made him believe. 

“No, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Hyunjin said, “I have no idea what was behind your intentions to be friends with me and the fact that you’ve gotten to know me and that we’re friends now doesn’t mean that you weren’t cursed to like me in the beginning.”

“Seungmin didn’t know you were half-veela until almost December of our first year and he didn’t know what that meant until almost the end. You always tell the story about how you found him and helped him because he needed a friend. He’s your friend because you were nice to him and was someone who could navigate a whole new world that he would have been on his own for,” Jisung said. 

“Not knowing what a veela is doesn’t mean that you can’t be affected by one,” Hyunjin said quietly, “my mom really did what she could to prepare me for the way people would treat me because of my heritage, but it didn’t matter. The second it actually started happening, I had no idea what to do.”

“And that’s what you have us for. To turn to when things get too hard for just you to handle,” Jisung said, “If there’s one person you don’t have to worry about ever being affected by you, it’s Chan hyung. He’s been making googly eyes at Jacob long before we ever showed up.”

“That’s the thing though,” Hyunjin said sadly, “it doesn’t _matter_. It doesn’t matter who you’re attracted to, it doesn’t matter if you’re hopelessly in love with someone, it can still drag you in.”

“It didn’t with me,” Jisung said quietly, “and I know it’s hard to believe what people say, but it’s the truth. You’re one of my best friends, Jinnie, and not once did I ever feel like I had to be friends with you or wanted to because of your looks. What got me was that you were interested in Quidditch too. I really wanted us to be in the same House so we could be on the same team, but I think Chan would have personally kicked me out of Hufflepuff if I got in.”

Hyunjin didn’t know how to respond to that. He could tell Jisung was telling the truth; his friend would never lie to him about something like this. “Thanks, Sungie,” he finally said quietly.

Jisung mustered a small smile. “I promise we’re all here for you,” he said sincerely, “and if anyone ever tries something like this again, I’m not afraid to stand up to them. It’s easy for a knee to heal, but it’s not always easy to heal yourself.”

Hyunjin swallowed, trying not to show how close he was to crying. It was a time like this that he wished he could return to the mysterious sanctuary he’d found, not to avoid anyone but to hide his tears and his panic. The way the room manifested, the endless darkness, calmed him down like nothing else.

Jisung could see the sadness in Hyunjin’s eyes and he wasn’t sure if he should stay or go. “Are you ready to head back up?” he asked hesitantly. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, “I’m done for the day, but you have class soon, I bet.” He stood up, pushing in his chair and bringing the dishes he’d used over to a sink to get washed.

“Yeah, but I don’t think I’m gonna go,” Jisung admitted, “it’s just History of Magic and I won’t be able to focus.” He carefully stood up from the table, making sure not to bang his knee on the sturdy wood. 

“You shouldn’t skip class, Sungie,” Hyunjin admonished, putting the clean plate aside to dry and picking his bag up from the table. He led the way out of the kitchen, holding the door for Jisung.

“I know, I know, but I’m really tired and I can just get the notes from someone,” Jisung said. He didn’t want to admit to Hyunjin that the real reason he was skipping was because his knee was killing him from walking around on it so much the past few days. 

Hyunjin shrugged. It wasn’t like he could tell Jisung what to do. “Do you want to come to my dorm then?” he asked, “so you don’t have to go all the way back up to the tower yet.”

Jisung sighed. He was torn because the shorter walk was so tempting, but he was scared to run into the rest of their group. Maybe if he took a short nap, his knee would feel better and he could leave to catch up on his work before anyone got back. “Yeah, that would be great actually. I won’t stay long, I promise,” he said. 

“You can stay as long as you want,” Hyunjin assured him, making sure the kitchen door was secure before leading the way back to his common room. “I’m probably gonna take a nap anyway, so you’re free to use Minnie’s or Felix’s bed and take one too.”

“I’ll probably just stay on the couch so I don’t bother you when I leave,” Jisung said. He spent most of his time in the Hufflepuff common room that no one ever questioned him when he was there. 

“You won’t,” Hyunjin said, “you know I sleep like the dead once I finally fall asleep.”

Jisung chewed on his lip nervously. “I haven’t talked to Seungmin or Lixie in a while and I don’t think they’d exactly be happy if I was asleep in their bed when they go back,” he mumbled. 

“I’m pretty sure they’d just be happy to see you,” Hyunjin said, “but suit yourself. Fizzing Whizbee.” The door to the common room opened and he held it for Jisung.

Jisung paused when he got into the common room. Two Hufflepuffs were already spread across the couch talking animatedly about what they were going to do at the next Hogsmeade trip. Well there went his plan to take a nap on the couch. With a sigh, he slowly made his way to Hyunjin’s room. 

Hyunjin held the door for Jisung, then let it fall closed and retreated to his own bed. He dropped his bag next to the bed and stripped off his robes so he was left in just a shirt and pants before laying down.

Jisung looked between Seungmin and Felix’s bed, trying to decide who would be less angry with him. Ideally, he would be gone before either of them showed up, but he wasn’t counting on it. After a moment of debating, he decided on Felix’s bed. He took off his robe and draped it over his crutches before slowly laying down. He let out a long sigh, grateful to finally be off of his knee. 

Hyunjin rolled to face Jisung, not wanting the younger boy to think he was ignoring him, and pulled the blanket up so only his eyes were peeking out.

“Thanks for letting me come here,” Jisung whispered, “I’ll probably be gone before you wake up again.” He draped his arm over his eyes and tried not to focus on his throbbing knee. 

“I don’t mind,” Hyunjin said tiredly, already on the verge of passing out. This day had taken a lot out of him.

Jisung smiled to himself. “Night, Jinnie,” he said. He could hear how tired Hyunjin was and he hoped his friend would be able to rest for a while. Unbeknownst to him, he fell asleep not soon after. 

It took a while for Hyunjin to be able to fall asleep. Every time he got close, Yugyeom would pop out of nowhere and scare him awake again. It was like he could never get any relief.

Jisung jumped awake when Hyunjin suddenly gasped. “Are you okay?” he asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin mumbled after a moment, “just having some waking nightmares. It’s fine.”

Jisung frowned. “Is there anything I can do?” he asked quietly. 

“Not really,” Hyunjin said with a shrug, “I just have to deal with them. I haven’t found anything that helps except the Draught of Peace and I can’t be taking that every day.”

“Maybe Chan hyung knows something that might help,” Jisung said. This wasn’t a problem he could fight so he was at a loss. 

“It used to help to fall asleep with someone, but lately it makes me panicky to even be that close to someone,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, “I managed to fall asleep just holding hands with Minnie the other night, but that was the first time in a while.”

“Do you want to try that?” Jisung asked slowly. Last time he had touched his friend, he had sent the poor boy into a panic, so he was hesitant to even offer.

“I don’t want you to get up if it’s going to hurt your knee,” Hyunjin said, “just laying down is helping me feel better, honestly.” It wasn’t a no, but it gave Jisung an out.

“Walking across the room is worth it if it’ll help you,” Jisung said. He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He left his crutches on the floor and slowly made his way over to Hyunjin, half because he couldn’t put his full weight on his knee yet and half because he wanted to give Hyunjin the time to stop him if it was too much. 

Hyunjin held a hand out to help Jisung into his bed, not wanting him to stand on his leg for too long. Once Jisung was in the bed, Hyunjin scooted back toward the wall and waited for Jisung to lay down.

After what felt like ages, Jisung was finally lying down again. He reached his hand over to Hyuniin and let it lie in the middle of the bed. 

Hyunjin curled on his side and took Jisung’s hand in his own. It was comforting to have his friend right there with him.

Jisung smiled softly. He had really missed spending time with Hyunjin; he just hoped their other friends didn’t get upset when they got back. 

Hyunjin sighed and closed his eyes, willing himself to relax. He had a few more hallucinations, waking nightmares, whatever they should be called, of Yugyeom coming at him, but every time, his hand tightened around Jisung’s and he was reminded that they weren’t real and that he was safe. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep.

Jisung was glad that Hyunjin was able to fall asleep. Even though he wasn’t able to, he was happy that he could provide the support his friend needed. 

Hyunjin didn’t really sleep soundly, nearly waking himself up at a few points, but it was the most sleep he’d gotten all week, which was a positive. When Felix returned to find Jisung laying in the older boy’s bed, he smiled softly. “I’m glad he’s sleeping,” he whispered.

Jisung sucked in a breath when Felix came into the room. “Y-yeah, me too,” he said quietly, “I...uh…I wasn’t gonna stay much longer.”

“At least stay until he wakes up,” Felix said pleadingly, “I know you’ve been busy lately, but this is the most sleep he’s gotten all week and I know he’ll wake up if you try to leave.”

Jisung chewed on his lip and dropped his eyes. “I can do that,” he agreed quietly. 

“We’ve missed you lately, Sungie,” Felix said as he flopped on his own bed. He wasn’t sure what exactly Jisung had been doing, but it had been a while since they had seen him.

Jisung squeezed his eyes closed and turned away from Felix. “I’m sorry. I just got really far behind on everything and I’m still trying to catch up,” he said. It wasn’t even a lie, but Jisung wasn’t about to explain how he had gotten so far behind. 

“It’s okay, Sung,” Felix said, “you don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m just glad to see that you’re back. We missed you at chess night. Seungmin started bringing Jeongin to take up the spot and he’s really good, but it’s not the same.”

Jisung’s whole body tensed up. “Seungmin brought Jeongin, _Yang Jeongin_ , to chess night?” he asked incredulously, “what was he thinking? And why did you let that happen?”

“They’re friends,” Felix said with a shrug, “and Jeongin’s actually really nice. He doesn’t talk much though. I think he’s still nervous around us.”

“So Seungmin brought Jeongin to chess night, to replace me, and everyone’s perfectly okay with it? Wow, that feels great,” Jisung bit out. He knew he should have never come back to the Hufflepuff dorm and he was paying for it now.

“I mean, it wasn’t really to replace you,” Felix said slowly, “we had an extra spot and Seungmin invited him one night. It wasn’t to replace you intentionally, it was just because you weren’t there. And let’s be honest, you probably would’ve been a jerk to him and I could tell Minnie really wanted us to be nice to him.”

“He’s dangerous, Lix! Everybody knows that. We even warned Seungmin time and time again. I can’t believe he didn’t listen,” Jisung said, tone laced with annoyance, “how did he even become friends with Jeongin?” The word left a bad taste in his mouth. 

“ _You_ warned him. Jeongin’s been nothing but nice to us in the two times we’ve played with him,” Felix said, starting to get defensive, “and I can’t tell you how they became friends; you’ll have to ask Seungmin.”

“You can’t trust him! He’s gonna stab you in the back when you least expect it and I don’t want to hear about it,” Jisung said flatly, “if I knew staying away was gonna get me replaced with a snake, I would have done something different.” If Hyunjin didn’t have such a tight grip on his hand, he would have been halfway back to the Gryffindor dorm by now. 

“How do you know?” Felix snapped, “you’ve never even bothered to talk to the kid aside from picking fights with him. I know you made him cry once for no reason, Seungmin told me. You’re being a _jerk_.”

“You don’t come from a background like his and turn out to be a good person. That’s not how things work,” Jisung said, “I don’t care how nice the kid pretends to be, I’m never going to trust him.” 

“You could say the same thing about Hyunjinnie, or Seungminnie, but you wouldn’t because you actually took the time to get to know them,” Felix said angrily, “I think it’s time for you to go back upstairs. We just got rid of one Gryffindor bully; we _don’t_ need another one.”

Jisung pulled his hand out of Hyunjin’s, not a drop of regret in his body when the older boy’s eyes flew open. He quickly slipped his robe on and grabbed his crutches. Opting not to use them, he stormed out of the room without another look over his shoulder. 

“What happened?” Hyunjin mumbled, sitting up, “did you guys have a fight?”

Jisung ignored the searing pain in his knee for the whole walk back to his own room. When he got there, he angrily threw the crutches onto the floor and climbed into bed. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure if the tears in the corners of his eyes were because of the pain or because of the argument he just had. 

“He was being a jerk about Jeongin,” Felix said, “and I’m not trying to prioritize Seungmin’s new friend over him, but I’m _done_ with bullies. One was more than enough.”

Jisung rolled over onto his side and clutched his knee. He was already regretting his decision and knew he was going to pay for it even more tomorrow. 

“Oh,” Hyunjin said in a small voice, “we should make sure they both come on Friday. That’s the only way to get him to change his mind.”

Seungmin was glad to finally be done with classes. As much as he loved learning, some days just seemed to drag on. That happiness quickly faded when he got back to the room and noticed Felix’s angry expression. “What happened?” he asked hesitantly.

“Jisung’s a _jerk_ ,” Felix said, crossing his arms with a pout, “I tried to tell him that you’re friends with Jeongin now and that he’s nothing like what we thought and he just had to be an ass about it.”

Seungmin felt himself deflate. “What are we gonna do? Jisung’s so thick he’s never going to listen to us,” he said sadly. 

“We’re gonna make sure that they both come to chess on Friday,” Hyunjin said firmly, “and if Jisung starts being a jerk, we kick him out. We’ll invite him back and keep kicking him out every week until he at least learns to keep the asshole comments to himself.”

“I just don’t want to scare Jeongin away. I already almost lost him once and I don’t want Jisung to ruin that again,” Seungmin said.

“Which is why we train him,” Hyunjin said, joking only a little. “If he wants to act like a bitch, then we’ll treat him like one. Besides, Felix was right: we just got rid of one Gryffindor bully. We don’t need another.”

Seungmin sighed. “I just hope this works. I don’t want to lose either of them,” he said quietly. He slipped his robe off and hung it up. 

“I don’t either,” Hyunjin said, “but I have no more pity for people who hurt others. It _sucks_ and I don’t want Jeongin to deal with it any more than he already does.”

Seungmin nodded. “What if Jisung won’t change his mind?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Then that’s his problem,” Hyunjin said firmly, “you guys can do what you want, but I’ll cut ties. I don’t want any more bullies in my life.” He didn’t know where the sudden indignation had come from, but he was greatly enjoying it. 

Seungmin’s eyes widened. He didn’t want to lose Jisung, but he couldn’t let him continue to bully Jeongin. With a sad sigh, he grabbed his book off his desk and laid down to hopefully distract himself for a little while. 

“But,” Hyunjin said, “that won’t happen. Jisung may be a jerk, but he’s not an idiot. He’ll prioritize our friendship over his own misbeliefs.”

“I hope so,” Seungmin mumbled. Jisung was notorious for being wildly irrational and he hoped that didn’t happen this time. 

“I guess we’ll see,” Felix mumbled. And see they would. When Friday rolled around, Jeongin was a little surprised to step into the Hufflepuff common room and find Jisung sitting with the group, waiting for him and Seungmin. 

“If he does anything, we’ll kick him out,” Seungmin whispered to Jeongin. Jisung’s eyes narrowed when he saw Jeongin walk in behind Seungmin. “Oh good, my replacement’s here,” he snarked.

“If he was your replacement, you wouldn’t be here,” Hyunjin said calmly as he finished setting up the board. “It’s me, Seungmin, and Jeongin against you, Felix, and Chan.”

“I’m not playing,” Jisung said, leaving no room for arguments. He stretched out along the length of the couch and made himself more comfortable. 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said, “Chan can sit this round out and Jeongin can pair with Felix. I’ll pair with Seungmin. That’ll be more fair anyway.”

“Look, you don’t even need me,” Jisung said airily. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe he could pretend Jeongin wasn’t even here. 

“You and I can play the next round against whoever wins,” Chan said, rolling his eyes, “in the meantime, be nice.”

“Oh sure, I’ll be nice,” Jisung said, “so Seungmin, why don’t you tell me how the hell you became friends with Yang?” He didn’t even bother opening his eyes. 

“We...work together on Friday nights,” Jeongin said slowly. He glanced at Seungmin unsure of how much the older boy had told people. 

“You work together?” Jisung asked suspiciously, “what do you mean you work together?” “It’s none of your business,” Seungmin said. That caused Jisung to open his eyes and sit up. “None of my business? You bring the one person I warned you to stay away from into our group and it’s none of my business how you met him? Nice try,” he snapped. Seungmin flinched and turned his head down. 

“We feed the fucking thestrals, Jisung,” Jeongin finally snapped, “it’s not like I’m recruiting him to be a fucking Death Eater or some shit.”

Jisung glared at Jeongin before turning his attention to Seungmin. “Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked. “I already told Chan hyung and Felix,” Seungmin admitted quietly. “Oh so you were just hiding this from Hyunjin and me?” Jisung asked. “I don’t like to talk about it,” Seungmin replied meekly. 

“It’s almost like witnessing a death is fucking traumatic or something,” Jeongin said, narrowing his eyes at Jisung, “and trauma is _private_. Seungmin has no obligation to tell anyone why he can or can’t see thestrals.”

“It’s okay, Jeongin,” Seungmin said, trying to defuse the situation, but he was too late. “This has nothing to do with you,” Jisung snapped, “and I also don’t recall ever addressing any of my questions to you anyway.” 

“Well, you’re treating Seungmin like shit and I don’t like it when people talk to my friends like that,” Jeongin said. He felt bad for escalating the situation, but he wasn’t just going to let Jisung talk down to Seungmin like that.

“Aw, how cute, the baby is protective of his new friend,” Jisung said sarcastically, “just stay out of things that aren’t your business and maybe I won’t make you regret coming here.” “Jisung, please don’t do this,” Seungmin begged. He looked up at the Gryffindor with teary eyes, pleading with him to just let it go. 

“Guys, let’s chill out,” Chan said, gently pushing both of them to relax backwards, “let’s finish the game and then we can discuss this not in the middle of the common room, alright?” Jeongin slumped, nodding and leaning his head on Seungmin’s shoulder. They hadn’t even moved to set up teams yet and Jisung was already being mean.

Seungmin didn’t miss the way Jisung’s face twisted into a look of contempt. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and turned his head down. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered to Jeongin.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Jeongin said quietly, bringing up his hand to wipe away the rest of the tears on Seungmin’s face. “I’m sorry your friend is being so rude to you.”

Jisung made a noise of disgust and rolled himself over on the couch. “It’s okay,” Seungmin mumbled, “I knew this was gonna happen. I should have been ready.” He turned his attention to the board and was already much too distracted to play. Luckily, Jeongin was good enough for the both of them.

“Just ignore him, Minnie,” Jeongin said, quietly but loud enough that Jisung could hear. He moved a piece, placing the other team in check.

Seungmin snuck a glance at Jisung, but was met with a glare in return. He immediately turned his eyes back to the floor, not even daring to look up at the board. 

Jeongin quickly finished the game with a checkmate, not wanting to drag it out and have Seungmin continue to suffer. Before he could say anything, Chan had them up in shuffling into his room, the chess board securely under Hyunjin’s arm. Once the door was shut, Jeongin turned to Jisung. “What will it take to convince you that I’m not some sort of demon?” he asked. 

Jisung bit back a laugh. “Next to nothing. But I’m warning you now, don’t you dare think about laying even a finger on any of my friends,” he said. 

“Jisung,” Chan admonished, “what is your issue with Jeongin to begin with? I’m not letting any of you out until we make an attempt to fix this.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Jisung said with a shake of his head, “his family has been responsible for so much catastrophe over the last who knows how many years and you just expect me to believe he’s nice? No way. You don’t just get out of that lifestyle.”

“My family, not me,” Jeongin said, “and not even my immediate family, my extended family, who, if you’ve never read a Daily Prophet article, are in Azkaban for murdering my parents because they were trying to leave the organization and raise me away from all of that, but sure, Jisung, I’m an evil monster who couldn’t possibly be a nice or good person because fucking _Jacob_ couldn’t possibly raise me that way.” Jeongin was shaking by the time he finished his speech.

“Well if we’re gonna bring who you hang out with into this, then let’s talk about Lee Minho. He’s a fucking psychopath and you’ve been friends with him for years,” Jisung snapped. 

“Whatever’s happening with Minho has nothing to do with me,” Jeongin said stonily, “I haven’t spoken to him in weeks and I certainly never condoned what he attempted to do to you.”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I _definitely_ believe you,” he scoffed. He turned his attention to Chan. “My knee hurts and I want to go lay down. Can we be done?”

“No,” Chan said, “you can sit down on my bed if you want, but we are figuring this out now. You can’t prevent Seungmin from having his own friends just because you don’t like them.”

Jisung narrowed his eyes and didn’t move from where he stood. “Fine, you can have whatever friends you want, but I don’t want any part of this,” he said looking right at Seungmin. 

“Nope,” Chan said, “that’s not a solution. I want to know what your _actual_ problem with Jeongin is.”

“I don’t trust him,” Jisung said simply. “You don’t even know him,” Seungmin argued. “I don’t need to. And more importantly I don’t want to,” Jisung replied flatly. Seungmin bit his lip and took a step back. 

“If someone said the same thing about me, you’d commit a murder,” Hyunjin said, crossing his arms and tipping his chin up, “you shouldn’t judge someone without knowing them.”

“You’re not dangerous, Hyunjin, but he could be and I don’t particularly want to find out,” Jisung said. Seungmin sniffed and bit his lip harder to keep himself together. 

“I could be if I wanted to, too!” Hyunjin said, “but I don’t and neither does Jeongin!”

Jisung crossed his arms. “You’ve hung out with him what, three times now? And all of the sudden you’re an expert?” he shook his head, “you guys trust way too easily.”

“Maybe you just don’t trust easily enough,” Felix said finally, “if you were talking to me like this, I’d have hexed you by now.”

Jisung sighed. “Maybe I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna change for someone. I’m not stopping you guys from all being friends, but I already said it before, I want no part of this,” he said. He took a few small steps towards the door, hoping this was the end of it. 

“I’m not going to talk to you until you figure out how to be nice,” Hyunjin said, “this is the problem with Gryffindors. You can’t put your pride aside long enough to admit when you’re wrong.”

“It’s not Gryffindors and this isn’t about pride,” Jisung said defensively, “does anyone else have anything before I leave? I’m really not fond of the idea of getting caught after curfew.”

“It _is_ about pride!” Hyunjin cried, “you won’t even take the time to get to know Jeongin because you’re so convinced that you’re right, and you won’t take the time to listen to Seungmin because you’re so convinced that he can’t be trusted to make decisions for himself. It’s _arrogance_.”

Jisung stood up as tall as he could and stared at the older boy. “Well then if it’s my pride, so be it,” he said coolly. With that he pushed past Chan and left the room. 

Jeongin felt bad. He could tell Seungmin was on the verge of tears and he hated that his presence had ruined the evening for everyone. “I should go too,” he said quietly, “Minnie, can you walk me back?”

Seungmin managed to keep it together until they were in the hallway. “I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, hiding his face in his hands, “I didn’t think he would be that bad. If I knew this would happen, I would have never had him come.”

Jeongin pulled Seungmin into a hug, backing them into an alcove so they could have some privacy. “It’s okay,” he said quietly, “I expected him to be rude to me, but I didn’t expect him to be so awful to you. That was really terrible of him.”

Without thinking, Seungmin clung onto Jeongin tightly and buried his face in the younger boy’s neck. “I-I just thought that if he saw all of us being nice to you he would soften up,” he mumbled sadly. 

“There’s a reason your House tends to get along better with mine than with his,” Jeongin said gently, “Slytherins and Hufflepuffs place their trust in each other to know what they’re doing. For us, we view it as a form of loyalty to not question one’s decisions or intentions, and for you, you view everyone as inherently good until proven otherwise. If you trust me, then your Hufflepuff friends will as well. For Gryffindors, they place their trust in their instincts. That’s why they’re seen as the brave ones; they follow their instincts even when it brings them to harm or fault. His friends may say that I’m harmless, but his instincts, which are influenced by the rumors he hears, tell him that I’m dangerous. Enough time around me could change those instincts, but it would likely take a catastrophic event involving me protecting him for him to change his mind completely. It’s not your fault, or mine, or his. It’s just the way he evaluates risk.”

Seungmin sighed sadly. “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted in a small voice, “I don’t want you to have to deal with this everytime we all hang out, but I don’t want to lose him either.”

“I’m not going to ask you to choose between us,” Jeongin said, “but maybe it would be good for you to take a few weeks off from helping with the thestrals. Your old friend is more important than your new friend.”

Seungmin shook his head and tightened his grip on Jeongin. “I don’t want to do that. If I go running back to him, he’s gonna think he’s right. I want to prove to him that you’re an amazing friend and worthy of his trust,” he said. 

“Unfortunately, you’re not going to do that by ostracizing him,” Jeongin said, “he’s not going to hang out with you if I’m there, because he’s stubborn, and I can only tolerate so much harassment.”

Seungmin sniffed and pulled away from Jeongin. He was being selfish, wanting all of his friends to hang out together without thinking about how that would affect all of them. “I am really sorry this happened. And no matter what happens with Jisung, I hope we can still be friends,” he mumbled sincerely. 

“If you think you’re ever getting rid of me, then you’re sorely mistaken,” Jeongin said firmly, “we’ll figure out how to get through to Jisung, I promise.”

Seungmin wiped his eyes and mustered a small smile. “Thank you,” he mumbled, “I really hope Jisung sees how good of a friend you are.”

“Of course,” Jeongin said, “I’m going to head downstairs now, but you know where to find me if you need me, alright?” Without thinking, he kissed Seungmin’s cheek before waving and disappearing down the stairs to the dungeons.

Seungmin stared after Jeongin wide eyed. His fingers came up to brush gently against his flushed cheeks. With a shake of his head, he snapped back into focus and made his way into the common room. 

“Is Jeongin okay?” Chan asked when Seungmin stepped back into the common room. When the boy nodded, he glanced across the room before lowering his voice. “I don’t want to pressure you, but I think you should tell Hyunjinnie about your mom,” he said quietly.

“Will you stay?” Seungmin asked in a small voice. He knew Hyunjin wouldn’t be upset about him keeping this from him, but he still wanted someone else there.

“Of course, kiddo,” Chan said, “let’s go in my room, alright?” He gently pushed Seungmin in that direction and gestured to Hyunjin as well.

Seungmin stood off to the side and wrapped his arms around himself. He waited until Chan had closed the door behind them before he began. “I’m really sorry for not telling you about being able to see the thestrals, Jinnie,” he said. 

“It’s okay,” Hyunjin said, “I can’t imagine that it’s an easy thing to talk about.”

Seungmin took a deep breath before explaining everything that happened with his mom and why he had tried to keep in hidden. It was getting a little bit easier to talk about each time he told someone, but it was still hard. He didn’t bother fighting the tears that he didn’t think he had left. “I...I don't know how to tell Jisung,” he said when he had finished. 

“Just like you told me,” Hyunjin said, pulling Seungmin into a hug, “if he’s an ass about it, then that just shows how much he truly cares about you as a friend. But who knows? Maybe it’ll help him understand better how you and Jeongin became friends.”

Seungmin hugged Hyunjin back, but was careful to leave his grip loose. “I’ve never been scared to talk to him before. I don’t even know if I could approach him without setting him off,” he said quietly. 

“If he’s going to get upset just from you wanting to talk to him, then he doesn’t deserve to know,” Hyunjin said firmly, “he doesn’t get to decide for you.”

Seungmin took a deep breath and nodded. “Thanks, Hyunjinnie,” he whispered, “we should probably get to bed.”

“I’m going to head down to the Slytherin dorms to see Jacob for a bit,” Chan said, “try not to get into too much trouble without me, alright?”

Seungmin nodded again, more vigorously this time. “We won’t, I promise,” he said, “although we should probably be saying that to you.”

Chan flushed and gently shoved the two kids out of his room. “Go to bed, you hooligans,” he called over his shoulder.

Seungmin mustered a small smile and pulled Hyunjin gently through the dorm into their own room. “Can I stay with you tonight?” he asked shyly.

“Of course, Minnie,” Hyunjin said with a smile, “I’ll hold your hand as long as you need me to.”

Seungmin smiled and got changed quickly before climbing into bed next to Hyunjin. He wasn’t sure who needed the support more, but he was grateful for his friend nonetheless.


	13. Chapter 13

Chan hummed to himself as he let himself into the Slytherin House and into Jacob’s room. He was a little surprised to see his boyfriend in bed so early on a Friday night, but he slipped into bed behind him anyway. “Headache, baby?” he murmured.

Jacob hummed. “It’s been on and off all day,” he mumbled tiredly. As bad as he had felt all day, he was already starting to feel better. It was just the effect Chan had on him. 

“My poor baby,” Chan said, “all your rowdy kids finally getting to you?” He gently kissed his boyfriend’s shoulder, not wanting to aggravate the pain any more.

“If the Headmaster let me step down when I wanted to, maybe I wouldn’t be getting migraines,” Jacob grumbled. 

“If the Headmaster has faith in you, then so do I,” Chan said softly, “you’ve wanted this position for years, babe, I would hate to see you give it up.”

Jacob sighed. “I know,” he said sadly, “that’s half the reason I’m not fighting anymore, but it’s days like today where I really just wish he let my badge stay on his desk. But I don’t want to dwell on this all night. I want to focus on you.”

“Everything I have to tell you will probably just make your headache worse,” Chan admitted, “but I want to stay until you fall asleep, at least.”

“You can tell me everything tomorrow,” Jacob said, “but I know what will make me feel better if you want to spend a little more time together.”

“Oh?” Chan said, sitting up on one arm, “and what would that be?”

“A real kiss,” Jacob said as playfully as he could muster. With a soft groan, he rolled himself over to face Chan. 

“What’ll I get in return?” Chan asked, settling a hand on Jacob’s waist.

“Whatever you want,” Jacob replied quietly, “it just depends on how much better I feel after that kiss.” He reached up and threaded his fingers through Chan’s hair so he could pull his boyfriend closer. 

Chan leaned in and kissed Jacob softly, deepening the kiss after a moment. They kissed for a few minutes before Chan pulled away. “Did that help?”

Jacob hummed. “It did, but not quite enough,” he teased. He managed a small smirk and settled more comfortably on his back, pulling Chan on top of him. 

Chan settled himself above Jacob but kept himself elevated so he wouldn’t put any weight on his boyfriend’s body. It was partially to tease Jacob, but more so to avoid hurting him.

“You’re so far away,” Jacob said with a pout, “how am I supposed to kiss you when you’re all the way up there?” 

“I don’t want to hurt you, baby,” Chan said softly, “not if you already have a headache.”

“You won’t hurt me if you lay down,” Jacob promised, “as long as we keep things slow, I’ll be okay.”

“You’re the one that pulled me on top of you,” Chan said as he rolled off to the side, kissing Jacob on the way, “I’m just going with the flow.”

Jacob pouted more. “Laying on top of me won’t hurt me, but I’ll make it up to you tomorrow,” he promised. He had more than a few ideas on how to make up for the time they were losing tonight. 

“You don’t have to do anything,” Chan said, “I’m happy just like this.” He didn’t want Jacob to ever feel obligated to do anything for him.

“I don’t appreciate you enough,” Jacob said. His hand ran up and down Chan’s side. “I just want to spend each and every day showing you how much I love you, but unfortunately for the two of us we have to set a good example and go to our classes.”

Chan rolled his eyes and kissed Jacob just to shut him up. The grease was too much for him tonight. 

Jacob smiled into the kiss. He tightened his grip on Chan’s side ever so slightly. He really had no idea how he had ended up with such a perfect boyfriend. 

“I love you,” Chan mumbled into Jacob’s mouth. Unconsciously, his thumb came over to rub at the band on his ring finger.

Jacob pulled away just long enough to mumble an “I love you too.” He wasted no time kissing Chan again and reveled in how perfect his boyfriend’s lips felt against his own. 

Chan pulled away from Jacob’s mouth and gently kissed from his jaw to his neck, slowly and softly. He wasn’t planning on starting anything, but he wanted his boyfriend to feel appreciated.

Jacob instinctively tilted his head back. “Just don’t do anything too high,” he requested. 

Chan hummed. He wasn’t planning on leaving any marks to begin with, but any he did leave would be for his eyes only. He kissed Jacob’s neck gently before taking his hand and pressing a long kiss to his ring.

Jacob smiled softly. His headache was starting to edge back in and he knew he would have to sleep soon, but he wanted to enjoy Chan for as long as possible. “I never asked if you were happy with the colors in your ring,” he whispered. 

“I am,” Chan said, “I like that they match but in a complementary way, not an identical way. It’s a good representation of us.”

Jacob nodded. “We do compliment each other nicely,” he agreed quietly.

“Yours being...less conspicuous is accurate of us too, I think,” Chan said, “I certainly look for more attention than you do.”

“It’s certainly hard not to attract attention when you walk around looking like this all day,” Jacob said, “but you are also a lot friendlier amongst more people than I ever will be.”

“I’m more tolerant of people walking over me,” Chan corrected, “a true Hufflepuff stereotype.”

“I’ll toughen you up one of these days,” Jacob promised. He threaded his fingers together with Chan’s and held his boyfriend’s hand loosely. 

“Speaking of toughening up,” Chan said with a sigh, “your kid really has a lot of self control, you know that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him take an argument with such restraint as he did tonight.”

Jacob’s eyes widened. “Jeongin? What happened?” he asked worriedly. He hadn’t even noticed the boy coming back to the dorms earlier. 

“He came to play chess with the boys again and Jisung was there and you know Jisung can’t see Jeongin without picking a fight,” Chan said with a sigh, “my three stood up for him as well, but Jisung was just...an ass, if I’m honest.”

Jacob sighed and brought his free hand up to rub his forehead. “If Minho and Jisung didn’t hate each other, I would lock them in a room together to get it together,” he said, “on second thought maybe that is a good idea. They’ll either kill each other or get their shit together.”

“Either would be preferable at this point,” Chan said with a sigh, “but I was impressed by Jeongin. Jisung was being absolutely awful to him and he didn’t even flinch. He’s got a soft spot for Seungmin I think, and he was trying to impress him.”

A small smile pulled at Jacob’s lips. “A soft spot huh? I’ve never heard of Jeongin having a soft spot for anyone. I knew him and Seungmin were becoming friends, but not like this,” he said, “you’d be surprised the things Jeongin would do for the people he cares about.” 

“He’s a good kid,” Chan said simply, “and you’re a good dad, baby.” He had overheard Jeongin call Jacob that once and he couldn’t get the name out of his head. He simply had to tease.

“Don’t call me that yet,” Jacob said, “and Jeongin really didn’t have anyone to look up to until he met me so I always tried to be a good example for him.”

“And you are,” Chan assured him, “hell, I’m pretty _I_ would’ve hexed Sung for some of the shit he was saying, but Jeongin just kept his cool.”

“I’m really proud of him,” Jacob said softly, “and I’m happy your three have been so good to him. He really needed that, especially after losing Minho.”

“They trust Seungmin’s judgment,” Chan said, “if he says that Jeongin’s okay, then they won’t question it.”

Jacob hummed. “Your Seungmin is a good kid,” he said, “and he certainly has to be something special if Innie’s so fond of him.” 

“Minnie hasn’t got a mean bone in his body,” Chan said with a small smile.

“We need more people like him in this school, especially in Gryffindor,” Jacob commented. He pulled Chan a little bit closer. 

Chan hummed. “Gryffindor’s never been as clean as they claim,” he mused, “but in the past they used to be able to brush it off with the whole 'at least we’re not blood supremacists' gimmick. They can’t scapegoat you guys anymore so it’s finally coming out just how awful they can be.”

Jacob nodded. “And they still hold onto the House rivalries, especially against us. It’s exhausting and I just hope it ends soon,” he said tiredly. 

“Yugyeom being gone will help, I think,” Chan said, “he had a lot of people trapped under his thumb, people that would have acted differently otherwise. How he ever made prefect to begin with is beyond me.”

“He really was fine when we were fifth years, but once he started realizing how much control he had, he took off with it,” Jacob said, “I know he wanted Head Boy, and honestly I would rather have to deal with everything that’s been happening than try to keep him under control from below him.”

“Hyunjin’s been so much more open and expressive since he got the boot,” Chan said, “and I heard from Jisung that he made friends with a certain Ravenclaw fifth year.”

Jacob raised his eyebrows. “A Ravenclaw fifth year? What’s his name?” he asked.

Chan gave Jacob an incredulous look. “Changbin,” he said slowly, “that headache is really getting you tonight, huh, babe?”

Jacob tipped his head back with a groan. “He’s just not really the type to make new friends. I’m surprised he doesn’t just live in the library at this point,” he said. 

“I guess he stood up to Yugyeom for Hyunjin one day,” Chan said, “and he worked him down from a panic attack last week as well.”

“He’s always working to prove himself so I’m not surprised about him sticking up to Yugyeom, although that was definitely very brave of him,” Jacob said, “it looks like all of our kids are becoming friends now. Or at least almost all of them.”

“Are we becoming dads?” Chan asked, looking at the ceiling, “is this a family unit that we’ve created?”

Jacob couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I don’t know about you, but one kid is more than enough for me,” he joked. 

“Well, tough luck,” Chan said, “looks like we’ve got five. Seven, if the other two come around.”

“I didn’t think parenthood would be part of this agreement so soon,” Jacob said, trying but failing to hide a smile. It was nice that all of the boys were getting along and he just hoped they could help Jisung and Minho come around. 

“At least they’re past the larva stage,” Chan joked, “they’re all self sufficient now, we can be hands off until they need us.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “You are ridiculous,” he said, slapping Chan on the arm, “do you think I could put ‘full time dad’ on my resume now?”

“Maybe if you were going for my job,” Chan said, pouting and rubbing his arm, “I don’t think it would help much for yours.”

“Listen, if you can wrangle up some kids, a Death Eater is no problem,” Jacob said, only half joking. A mischievous smile pulled at his lips. “What do you think my dad would do if I told him I became a father when I go home over break?” 

“He’d kill us both,” Chan said seriously, “he’s already going to freak out enough over the rings, Cobi.”

Jacob nodded and looked down at the ring on his finger. “You know, if you came home with me, I bet he wouldn’t be as upset about it,” he said quietly. 

“I live next door,” Chan said, “I’ll be coming home with you either way, babe.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Jacob said, looking up at Chan. His thumb rubbed slow circles on the back of his boyfriend’s hand. 

“What did you mean then?” Chan asked. Even to spend time together and as a couple, it wouldn’t make sense to stay solely at Jacob’s house during the break.

“I want you to come live with me,” Jacob said, “I want to talk to my dad about getting an apartment when I graduate and I want you to be part of that.”

“Cobi,” Chan said softly, looking up at his boyfriend, “we should talk to all of our parents together, don’t you think?”

Jacob sighed. “Yeah, that’s probably better,” he said quietly. 

“I’m not saying no,” Chan said, “I’m saying let’s invite my parents to dinner at your house and drop it on them all at once.”

Jacob nodded. “What do you think they’re all gonna say?” he asked. 

“Honestly, I think my parents are already expecting it,” Chan said, “if not for romantic reasons, then for logistical reasons. We’ll both be in London for work anyway, so it only makes sense to live together. They don’t need to know that we only need one bed.”

Jacob smiled. “I’m sure that won’t come up,” he said, “if you want, I can charm the rings to only be visible to us until we talk to them about this.”

“I mean, the kids already know,” Chan said, “and there’s no one else that I care about knowing. In fact, I’d rather people know than not know.”

Jacob nodded and raised Chan’s hand to his lips. “No one’s said anything to you have they?” he asked. While he didn’t care about other people’s opinions, he still wanted to make sure no one was bothering Chan. 

“The kids keep teasing me that it’s more than a promise ring, which, they’re not really wrong on that,” Chan said, “and Professor Kim pulled me aside to tell me he hoped I was thinking all of my decisions through fully because my future is important, but that’s it.”

“No, they aren’t, but they don’t have to know that,” Jacob said, “he’s right though. This is a really big decision, especially because we’re only seventeen. But we know what’s good for each other.”

“Baby, you’ve been my best friend my entire life,” Chan said, “unless you suddenly decide to start hitting me or something, which I know you would never do, well, there’s no one else I would want to spend the rest of my life with.”

“I would never dream of hurting you,” Jacob affirmed, “I love you so much.” He leaned forward to kiss Chan gently. 

“I love you too,” Chan said before kissing Jacob deeply. 

Jacob hummed into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Chan and tightened his grip. It was amazing how, after just a few moments of kissing his boyfriend, his headache was beginning to subside again.

Chan all but burrowed himself into Jacob’s chest. If the older boy ever stopped loving him, he didn’t know what he would do.

Jacob chuckled quietly. “Is it bedtime?” he asked, hand coming up to comb through Chan’s hair. 

“If you’re tired,” Chan said, “I just wanna be close to you.”

“I’d rather spend all night awake just enjoying you, but we both know that’s not a good idea,” Jacob said. These were the moments that he lived for and he couldn’t wait until they were out of school and on their own. 

“I mean,” Chan said, biting his lip as he looked up at Jacob, “it is a Friday. No classes tomorrow, off duty tomorrow because it’s Hogsmeade...you get my drift.”

Jacob hummed. “And if I agree to this all nighter you’re proposing, how exactly are you going to keep us entertained?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m sure we could put our brains and bodies together and figure something out,” Chan said with a smirk. 

“We don’t want to get too tired too early though,” Jacob teased, “I’d hate to waste the night because we got too ambitious too fast.”

“Oh, we’ll take it slow, baby,” Chan promised.

Jacob smiled and pulled Chan against him again. They made the most of their night together and Jacob was more than happy to sleep in the next day. What he was also happy to do the following day was go find Changbin. He hadn’t seen the Ravenclaw in a while. 

Changbin was sitting on a bench in one of the many alcoves lining the halls, enjoying the sunshine filtering through the window as he read.

Jacob smiled victoriously when he found who he was looking for. “Hi, Binnie,” he greeted as he walked over.

“Hey, hyung,” Changbin greeted, sitting up. He marked and closed his book to give his full attention to Jacob.

“I haven’t seen you in a while. How’s everything going?” Jacob asked pleasantly as he sat down. He really wanted to skip all the small talk and get straight to the point, but he didn’t want to bombard poor Changbin. 

“It’s been okay,” Changbin said, “it’s been nice to have Jeongin hanging all over me again.”

Jacob smiled softly. “Yeah, I’m glad he’s back too. He definitely missed you,” he said, “Chan told me you’re friends with one of his kids now.”

“Oh, Hyunjin?” Changbin said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “Yeah, I mean, I guess we’re friends. I’ve only talked to him twice.”

“Chan told me you’ve helped him out a lot. Even stood up to Yugyeom for him,” Jacob said, “I’m proud of you. Not a lot of people had the courage to do that.”

“No one had the courage to do it,” Changbin corrected. He had never seen one single person ever stand up for Hyunjin, even though most people had seen what was happening to him. Even Changbin, socially oblivious as he was, had known about the half-veela Hufflepuff being harassed by Gryffindor’s Quidditch captain. 

Jacob sighed. Jisung was the closest anyone else had come and he didn’t have any success. “I’m happy you have a new friend. It’s good to branch out to the different Houses. Jeongin’s got a friend in Hufflepuff too, maybe you could all be friends,” he said. 

Changbin nodded. He was all too aware of Jeongin’s little crush on Kim Seungmin. “I think Hyunjin’s scared of me,” he said with a sigh, “he claims I’m not intimidating, but I don’t think he believes it.”

“Aw, don’t worry you’re as soft as a kitten, Binnie,” Jacob said fondly, “and there really only is one good way to show him you aren’t intimidating.”

“And what’s that?” Changbin asked dubiously. He trusted Jacob but, well, the older boy was a snake for a reason.

“You have to talk to him more. Go hang out with him,” Jacob said, “maybe even turn up your flirting game.” 

“Flirting?” Changbin spluttered, “no, no, it’s not like that, hyung. I’m sure the _last_ thing Hyunjin wants right now is someone coming to help him just to start flirting. I’m just trying to be his friend.”

Jacob chuckled when Changbin got flustered. “Alright, alright you can save the flirting for later,” he said, “when are you gonna see him again?”

“I dunno,” Changbin said, “probably the next time he has a panic attack. I charmed him a coin for whenever he needs me.”

“You know you don’t have to wait for something to go wrong to see him,” Jacob said gently, “I’m proud of you for looking out for him, but only going when he needs help isn’t going to help you become friends.”

“I don’t want to overwhelm him,” Changbin said, “he’s had enough people shoving themselves in his life, he doesn’t need me too. I’ll let him come to me.”

“Binnie, you’re not shoving yourself into his life. You can even just offer to study with him. He’d never be able to resist you once he knows how brilliant you are,” Jacob said. 

“It’s fine, hyung,” Changbin said, “I’d rather not force a friendship anyway.”

Jacob sighed. “Oh, Binnie, but I don’t want to see you lose a friendship either. Give it a few days and think about going to talk to him. Even if you say hi in the Great Hall one day. Who knows he may be too scared to ask you to hang out first,” he said. 

“I just don’t want to fuck anything up,” Changbin said, “he said that he likes being able to talk to me when he’s panicking because I’m third party and unbiased and outside the whole thing and I don’t want him to lose that.”

“You can still do that if you’re friends with him,” Jacob said gently, “look my job isn’t to force you to do something you don’t want. My job is to support you in the decisions you do make, but I’m always gonna help you choose what’s best for you. I just want you to be happy.”

“If I’m his friend then I can’t be unbiased,” Changbin said, “so I’ll leave it up to him if he wants to lose that outlet or not.”

“Just don’t sacrifice your happiness, alright?” Jacob asked seriously. He reached over and rubbed Changbin’s shoulder supportively. “Now what do you know about Jeongin and his Hufflepuff?”

“Seungmin’s the kid that he does the thestrals with,” Changbin said, “Innie goes and plays chess with all the Hufflepuffs on Friday. I think he’s trying to prove his goodness more than anything at this point.”

“They’ll be wrapped around his fingers in no time,” Jacob said, “Chan told me he’s got a soft spot for Seungmin, but I wanted to find out a little more before I talk to him.”

“Seungmin’s a good kid,” Changbin said, “pretty quiet, crazy smart, Muggleborn. Jeongin came to me freaking out this morning during breakfast because he quote-unquote accidentally kissed Seungmin on the cheek.”

Jacob’s eyes widened. “ _Accidentally_ kissed his cheek?” he asked incredulously, “how could that be an accident?” He couldn’t wait to ask Jeongin about this later. 

“He did it, but he didn’t intend to do it?” Changbin said tentatively, “like he didn’t think about it, he just...did it and ran away.”

Jacob shook his head and smiled. “Aw, Jeonginnie has a little crush. How cute,” he said, “I’ll have to ask Chan what Seungmin thinks of all this.”

“I mean, he kisses me on the cheek all the time,” Changbin said, “maybe he’s just warming up to him finally.”

“But he doesn’t run from you,” Jacob said, “I know they haven’t been hanging out for that long, but I want to see what happens now that they are spending more time together.”

“He didn’t really run from him, he just kissed him as he was leaving and realized later what he had done,” Changbin explained.

Jacob hummed. “The baby’s growing up so fast,” he said fondly, “I’m really glad you two are getting some new friends. And you both have excellent tastes in Houses, Hufflepuffs are really great.”

“Speaking of Hufflepuffs,” Changbin said, smirk growing on your face, “how long did you think you could hide that ring from me?”

“Oh,” Jacob said looking down at his hand, “I wasn’t really hiding it I guess, but I haven’t seen you in a while. Isn’t it gorgeous?” He moved his hand slowly, letting the sunlight glint off of the silver. 

“It is very pretty,” Changbin agreed, “I’d better be your best man, Jacob. We’ll have problems if I’m not. Who else could you even pick? Minho?”

Jacob’s smile slipped off of his face. “Minho doesn’t even know. If anything it’d be between you and Jeongin, but we have a lot of time to think about it. I’m sure Jeongin would make a better flower boy anyway,” he said quietly. 

“You still haven’t been able to talk to him?”Changbin asked, concerned, “I thought he was supposed to be done with his tirade of terror.”

Jacob shook his head. “I’ve barely even seen him. He’s all but isolated himself and the times I have run into him all I get is a glare,” he said sadly, “I’m worried about him. He doesn’t look good at all and I have no idea what to do.”

“I haven’t even seen him at all lately,” Changbin said quietly, “have you talked to Professor Park at all? Maybe he could intervene.”

“No, I haven’t. I’m worried that confronting him is just going to set him off again,” Jacob said sadly, “as long as he’s not hurting anyone, I really don’t want to step on any toes. I just wish he came to me. He’s obviously hurting and I hate that he feels he has no one to talk to.”

“Not hurting anyone else doesn’t mean he isn’t hurting himself,” Changbin said quietly, “and out of everyone, he’s the one I would be worried about doing that.”

Jacob nodded. “He’s not even playing Quidditch anymore so it’s not like his team could keep an eye on him,” he said, “I gotta talk to him. It’s just so hard to pin him down because he’s hardly around anymore. I don’t even know where he goes.”

“I’m sure you could always try and grab him from one of the greenhouses,” Changbin said, “he’s been down there more than the North Tower lately, I think. I feel like I always see him leaving the castle.”

“I’ll try tomorrow,” Jacob said, “I just can’t believe this happened. And so quickly too. He was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met and I...I have no idea how everything went so far downhill.”

“You should talk to your dad, too,” Changbin suggested, “you know they keep tabs on all sorts of suspicious activities. If anything happened at home or over the summer, he would know.”

“I’ve been meaning to write him a letter so this is a good reason to finally do that,” Jacob said, “when I asked Minho about something going on at home, he never gave me a straight answer.”

“Screw writing a letter,” Changbin said, “just Floo him. You know the Headmaster will look the other way for you.”

“I’ll have to talk to him about getting a network set up, but that’s not a bad idea. I haven’t seen my dad in a while and a field trip sounds nice,” Jacob said.

“He’ll be less likely to lie to you with you there in front of him,” Changbin said knowingly, “it can’t be anything drastic though, or else it would have been in the news.”

Jacob nodded. “I just want to get to the bottom of this before anything happens,” he said, “keep an eye out and let me know if anything changes.”

“I will, hyung,” Changbin said, “now go; I know you’re dying to go interrogate Innie.”

Jacob’s smile crept back onto his face. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me anything yet, but I’m gonna go hear it all now,” he pulled Changbin into a hug, “please don’t give up on being friends with Hyunjin.” 

“I won’t,” Changbin promised, “now get outta here, I’m tryna read.”

Jacob chuckled and let go of Changbin. “I’ll see ya later, Binnie,” he said. With that he headed down the corridor to find Jeongin. 

Jeongin was sequestered in the library, which, all things considered, probably wasn’t the best place to go if he was trying to avoid Seungmin but it was the best thing he could come up with.

Jacob was quite surprised to find Jeongin in the library. “Hi, Innie,” he said, pulling up a chair, “whatcha working on?” 

Jeongin glanced down at his book, which was open and...upside down. “Avoiding Seungmin,” he admitted, pushing the book back.

Jacob frowned. “Avoiding Seungmin? What happened?” he asked, already knowing the answer. 

“I think I messed up,” Jeongin said quietly, “I kissed him the other day after chess and then I just walked away.”

Jacob’s expression softened. “Oh, Jeongin, it’s okay,” he said, “I don’t know Seungmin well, but from what I’ve heard about him from Chan, this won’t upset him. Hiding is really only going to make this worse, not better.”

“Either he didn’t like it and things are going to be weird now,” Jeongin said, “or he did like it and I’ve just royally fucked everything up by having left.”

“The only way to really find out is to talk to him,” Jacob said gently, “but if you’re too scared I can have Chan talk to him for you.”

“No, no, don’t do that,” Jeongin said hurriedly, “I don’t want to pressure him or embarrass him or anything. I’ll just...not bring it up and hope things are fine on Friday.”

“Alright, I won’t ask Chan,” Jacob agreed, “I can’t believe you never told me you like Seungmin.”

“I don’t!” Jeongin said, blushing furiously, “we’re just friends! Kids! Children, babies! Jacob!”

Jacob cocked an eyebrow. “Every time I call you a baby you always argue otherwise. And you’re allowed to like people you know? It’s kinda cute actually,” he said. 

“I. Don’t. Like. Him,” Jeongin said pointedly, “I just want to be his friend.”

“Jeongin, your face is bright red and you just told me you kissed him. Those aren’t coincidental,” Jacob said.

“Because kissing is gross and embarrassing!” Jeongin said, “it has nothing to do with Seungmin at all!”

“Kissing isn’t gross,” Jacob said with a chuckle, “Seungmin is the only thing we’ve been talking about anyway. Aw, your first crush, Innie, this is so cute!” He felt like a proud dad watching his son grow up. 

“I do _not_ have a crush on him,” Jeongin said, pouting, “besides, kissing can be platonic. I kiss you all the time! I just don’t know if Seungmin _likes_ platonic kissing.”

“I mean yeah, but you don’t blush when you talk about me,” Jacob said, “and you know there’s only one way to find out if Seungmin likes kissing.”

“I am not asking him that!” Jeongin said loudly, drawing attention. “I am not asking him that,” he hissed, quieter as he ducked down.

Jacob chuckled. Jeongin was absolutely adorable when he was flustered. “You don’t have to walk up to him and straight up ask, but you definitely shouldn’t keep hiding from him,” he said. He definitely had to talk to Chan about this. 

“I’m only hiding until I’m certain he’s forgotten about it. I don’t like him like that,” Jeongin said stubbornly. 

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, lover boy,” he teased, “and I’m sure he’ll have forgotten by Friday. Who knows he might even say something.”

“Leave me alone,” Jeongin whined, “I promise it’s not like that.”

“It’s cute, Innie,” Jacob assured, “I’ve never seen you get this flustered over someone before.”

“I’m not flustered,” Jeongin grumbled, “I’m annoyed, because you keep pushing the issue.”

Jacob raised his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine, I’ll drop it,” he said, “Changbin’s friends with one of Chan’s kids too. Maybe you can drag him to one of your chess nights.”

“I don’t think I’m going to chess night for a while,” Jeongin said sadly, “not until all this shit with Jisung blows over.

“Don’t let that brat ruin your chances to enjoy your new friends,” Jacob said, “I know he can be horrible, but Chan also said you handled everything really well.”

“I was _this close_ to cursing him,” Jeongin grumbled, holding up his fingers, which were touching. “It just makes Seungmin upset when we fight and I want to avoid that.”

Jacob chuckled. “He would have deserved it, but it’s good to keep the peace. I’m sure everything will smooth over eventually. It’s just gonna take a while,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Jeongin said quietly, “I just hope it’ll be soon. Seungmin deserves a bit of peace.”

Jacob smiled softly. “You all do,” he said, “it’s been a long year so far and it’s only been a couple months.”

“I’m not completely innocent in all of this either,” Jeongin said, “I think the only ones of us that haven't caused a problem are Hyunjin and Seungmin.”

“Maybe Seungmin will keep you out of trouble,” Jacob said lightly, “but as much as I love Chan, my priority is you. If one of his kids is causing problems, I will step in.”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Jeongin said, “I wouldn’t want to get in between the two of you. I’ll be fine. I can hold my own.”

“You won’t get between us,” Jacob assured Jeongin, “you can come to me if you need help. Or even Binnie. He stood up to Yugyeom so I know he’d have no problem sticking up to Jisung.”

“Alright, alright, I will,” Jeongin acquiesced, “but if you start fighting with Chan, you need to let me know, okay?”

“That’s not your worry, Innie. If we start fighting, we’ll work it out. I’m not losing him that easy,” Jacob said.

“I would hate myself if I was the reason something went wrong between the two of you,” Jeongin said quietly, “I’ve never seen you as happy as you’ve been the last few weeks.”

Jacob smiled softly. “You’re so cute when you’re worried,” he said, “nothing’s going to go wrong between us. I promise. I’m too stubborn to let him go anyways.”

“You’d better be,” Jeongin mumbled, “trap him physically if you have to, alright?”

Jacob couldn’t help but laugh. “The only worry that should be on your mind right now is staying out of trouble and making sure everything’s okay with Seungmin. I can handle Chan,” he said. 

“I am staying out of trouble!” Jeongin said indignantly, “of all your children, I am _easily_ your smallest problem.”

“You mean of all two of my children? It’s between you and Binnie, kiddo. There’s really not that much of a competition,” Jacob said. 

“And Minho,” Jeongin said quietly, “you can tell me you’ve given up on him and I’ll never believe it.”

Jacob sighed sadly. “I want him back more than anything, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up. I’m gonna talk to my dad and see if he knows anything and I might try to talk to him one more time, but…” he trailed off.

“But what?” Jeongin asked apprehensively. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost Minho for good. 

“But I don’t know if I can get him back,” Jacob said quietly, “I just feel like I failed him as a friend and I really don’t know what to do. He barely even looks at me anymore and when he does, it’s always a glare. I don’t think I could live with the guilt if this is how he spends his last two years at Hogwarts.”

“It’s not your fault, hyung,” Jeongin said, “whatever’s going on with him, it has nothing to do with us. Nothing to do with you, nothing to do with Seungmin. I don’t think it even has anything to do with me.”

“That’s the hardest part. If it was a problem with any of us, I could fix it, but I can’t even talk to him to know what’s going on so I’m at such a loss,” Jacob said, “and I owe him help. He was my best friend ever since he came here and I know I can’t give up on him.”

“I’m worried that it’s going to take something drastic happening for him to wake up and realize he needs help,” Jeongin said sadly. 

“Me too. Don’t try and approach him yet though. I don’t want him to lash out and hurt you, or even himself,”Jacob said. 

“He wouldn’t hurt me,” Jeongin said confidently, “I know things are weird now, but he’d never be able to live with himself if he let me get hurt.”

"Please be careful anyway. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt too," Jacob said quietly, "I care a lot about you, Innie."

Jeongin smiled and leaned over to hug Jacob tightly. “Thanks, hyung,” he mumbled.


	14. Chapter 14

Seungmin was just getting back to the Hufflepuff dormitory, not able to focus in the library anymore. 

Felix was laying on his bed, feet on the pillow and head by his trunk at the end, trying desperately to do his Transfiguration reading. When Seungmin came in, looking upset, he sat up, grateful for the distraction. “Everything okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Seungmin said unconvincingly, “I just overheard Jeongin and Jacob talking in the library and I couldn’t focus anymore.”

“Oh,” Felix said, “what were they talking about?” They didn’t seem like the type of people to be overly loud or disruptive, so he figured it had to be whatever they were talking _about_ that set Seungmin off.

“Jeongin must have told Jacob what happened because Jacob kept teasing him. But Jeongin was insistent that it was just platonic and he doesn’t like me and now I feel like an idiot for ever thinking otherwise,” Seungmin said miserably. He dropped all of his things on his desk and collapsed into bed. 

“So you want him to like you?” Felix clarified, “Jeongin’s thirteen, Minnie. I bet you’re his first crush and Jacob was teasing him too much.”

“I don’t know,” Seungmin whined, “it’s just nothing like this has ever happened before and I think I just overreacted. And now Fridays are gonna be so awkward.”

“Don’t hate me but I may have talked to Chan about what happened,” Felix said hurriedly, “he said that Jeongin’s affectionate like that with Jacob too, since they grew up together. Maybe don’t take it as he doesn’t like you so much as he trusts you enough to cross that barrier. Liking can come later.”

Seungmin looked up at Felix with big eyes. He wasn’t all that surprised that his friend had gone to talk to Chan. “Liking doesn’t have to come later,” he said quickly.

“No, but it _can_ ,” Felix said, “the more comfortable you are with each other, the more likely he is to fall for you, Minnie. Some people need that before they can feel anything for someone, y’know.”

“But I don’t want to get closer to him just so he’ll like me,” Seungmin said, “he’s just really nice and I wanted him to have some friends he could trust.”

“Jeongin’s lucky to have an admirer like you,” Felix said, “the guy I like is a _jerk_.”

Seungmin didn’t have time to be flustered. “Oh no, I’m sorry, Lixie. If he’s that mean then they definitely don’t deserve you. We’ll find you a guy who treats you right,” he said supportively. 

“But I still _like_ him,” Felix whined, “even though he’s an absolute _buttface_.”

Seungmin did his best to hide his giggle. “Well then maybe you can convince him not to be such an ass. Who is it anyway?” he asked. 

“I’m not telling you,” Felix mumbled, “you’re just gonna get mad at me.” He was having such a hard time balancing his crush against his loyalty to his friends.

Seungmin furrowed his eyebrows. “I would never get mad at you,” he assured, “I just want to do what I can to make you happy.”

“Yeah, well, until the dipstick gets himself together, there’s nothing anyone can do,” Felix said with a sigh.

Seungmin tilted his head curiously. “Lixie, please be honest with me,” he said. There was only one person he knew of that had to get his act together. “Is it Jisung?”

“N-No,” Felix stuttered, “he’s my best friend, what? You’re crazy, Seungminnie.” He laughed nervously.

Seungmin gave Felix a look. “Come on, Lix, I can see right through you,” he said, “you know. You might be the one that can bring him around.”

Felix shook his head. “He won’t even talk to me right now,” he mumbled, “pretty sure he’d talk to Jeongin before he talked to me again.”

“He needs time to cool off, but you’re the perfect person to talk to him. He needs someone who cares about him. He won’t listen to me because he thinks I’m on Jeongin’s side. If you show him you care about him and you miss him, I think he’ll come around,” Seungmin said. 

Felix wasn’t about to inform Seungmin that Jisung not talking to him had nothing to do with the Jeongin situation and everything to do with his own actions. Seungmin didn’t need to know about any of that. “I’ll try,” he mumbled finally.

“And we’ll all be here no matter what happens,” Seungmin said supportively, “we’ll get him back. I know we will.”

“Thanks, Minnie,” Felix said. He rolled over and grabbed his friend around the waist, dragging him into bed with him.

Seungmin let himself be pulled into Felix’s bed with an exaggerated groan. “You speak nothing of this to Chan or I’ll actually be mad at you,” he said, only half joking. 

“It’s the Aussie connection,” Felix said, “he bullies it out of me, Minnie, I can’t help it.”

Seungmin groaned again. “I just don’t want him trying to help. I know he means well, but I just want to move on and focus on getting Sung back,” he said. 

“I’ll do my best to keep him out of it,” Felix promised. Chan did have a knack for working things out of him, but Felix could at least make sure that he left Seungmin and Jisung alone about all of it.

Minho was walking back up to the castle under the cover of darkness. He had memorized the prefects’ patrol schedule long ago and knew how to get back to the common room without being caught. That meant he knew exactly where Jacob would be at this moment. Maybe he would visit the older boy; he had needed to talk to him for weeks. Suddenly his body when rigid, held in place by an immovable force. A severe pain seared through his head, causing him to drop to his knees. He couldn’t go see Jacob. The pain was gone as fast as it had come and he pulled himself back to his feet and made the rest of the journey back to his room incident free. 

As the Head of the Auror Department, Bae Jaewook had learned to expect the unexpected. It was hard to catch him off-guard anymore, not with his level of experience. Somehow, though, his son still managed to surprise him at times. Needless to say, returning from an evening meeting to find Jacob dusting himself off in the middle of his office was...quite the shock.

Jacob smiled sheepishly when he saw his father’s confused expression when he stepped back into his office. “Hi, dad, sorry for dropping by on such short notice,” he said. 

“Jacob,” Jaewook greeted slowly, closing the door, “I was under the impression that you should be in classes now, no? Does the Headmaster know you’re here?”

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, he was the one that set up the network for me. I told him it was important and he didn’t really question me,” he said. 

Jaewook relaxed once he knew that the school administration wasn’t going to come after him. “How are your classes going?” he asked.

“Pretty good,” Jacob replied with a nod, “I’ve already started preparing for my Defense NEWTS but I won’t worry about the rest until after break.” He shifted nervously on his feet not really sure how to bring up Minho.

“Good, good,” Jaewook said with a nod, sitting down behind his desk and motioning for his son to sit across from him. “And how is Christopher?”

Jacob smiled as he took a seat. He folded his hands in his lap and twisted the ring around his finger. “He’s got his hands full this year, but he’s doing good,” he said. 

“That’s good,” Jaewook said, nodding, “so what brings you all the way here? Just missing your pops?”

Jacob chuckled quietly. “I always miss you, but this is something a little more important,” he said, “Minho has been acting really strange all semester. He threatened a student and made him turn against Jeongin. Ever since he got caught, he’s been isolating himself and refusing to talk to us. I’m just worried something’s going on and I wasn’t sure if you would know anything.”

Jaewook hummed, thinking hard. “Nothing that I recall related to his family,” he said, spinning in his chair to reach for a large tome. He dropped it on the desk with a thud and tapped it once with his wand, sending it flying open until it stopped on a page about halfway through. “No, nothing of note,” he reiterated as he read the page.

Jacob’s shoulders slumped. “It just feels like he’s gone. Like I still see him, but I feel like my friend is gone. He hasn’t been himself in weeks. I really miss him, but I have no idea how to get him back” he said sadly.

Jaewook frowned. That was certainly out of character for Minho. “I’ll reach out to his parents and see if they’d like to come for tea on Christmas,” he suggested.

Jacob nodded. “Yeah that would be good. I’m just so worried about him. Jeongin and Changbin are too. We just want our friend back,” he said, “it was all really messy at the beginning of the semester and now that it’s quiet I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Speaking of Christmas tea,” Jaewook said, “I assume you’ve invited Christopher for everything?”

“Yeah I did,” Jacob said, “do you think we would be able to have his parents over too?” He knew his father wouldn’t disagree, but he didn’t want him to get too nosy now.

“Of course,” Jaewook said agreeably, “your mother and I haven’t been able to visit with them lately, so it’ll be nice. She’ll be upset that she missed you tonight.”

“I’ll write her a letter as soon as I get back, but it’s only a couple more weeks until I’m home,” Jacob said. He wondered if he should bring up stepping down as Head Boy. His dad might have some advice, but he didn’t want to disappoint him. 

“That would make her very happy,” Jaewook said with a nod, “she will be glad to hear that things are going well. I think she was worried about you balancing your studies and your Head Boy responsibilities.”

Well that certainly made his decision easier. “I don’t know if I’m exactly balancing them right now,” Jacob said quietly, “I...um...I’ve been trying to step down as Head Boy, but the Headmaster hasn’t been making it easy.”

“Why?” Jaewook asked, before shaking his head, “my apologies, I didn’t mean to sound demanding. What do you think is keeping you from balancing them?”

“I’m not cut out to be Head Boy. I thought I could handle the position, but I haven’t been able to fix anything that’s gone wrong so far this year,” Jacob explained, “I think it would be better for the school to have someone in the position who could handle it. I gave the Headmaster a letter and my badge, but he put them right back in my pocket when I turned around. Chris even wants me to stay, but I don’t know.”

“Sungjin wouldn’t have refused your resignation if he thought you weren’t handling the position,” Jaewook said after a moment of thought, “and from what I’ve heard has been happening up there, the fact that no one’s died and everyone is safe makes it seem to me like you’re doing your job perfectly.”

“One of the professors threatened to take my badge when everything started with Minho. Jeongin even said I wasn’t cut out for this,” Jacob said sadly, “that’s gotta mean something.” He kept his eyes glued to his lap. 

“You and I both know that Jeonginnie would never say something like that and mean it,” Jaewook said sternly, “the kid practically worships the ground you walk on. And a professor threatening your badge means absolutely nothing when they have no influence over your position. Given everything that’s going on, if you were in my office, I’d have probably promoted you. You’re doing an admirable job, little bear.”

Jacob smiled at the nickname his dad used for him since as long as he could remember. “You really think so?” he asked, finally looking up at his father. 

“I know so,” Jaewook said, “you forget that Sungjin and I were schoolmates. He speaks very highly of you whenever we communicate.”

Jacob’s smile widened ever so slightly. “Do you...do you think I should stay?” he asked. 

“In the position?” Jaewook asked, “certainly. If you still feel like you can’t handle it, I won’t keep you from stepping down. I would even request that Sungjin take your resignation if you feel that strongly about it. But I think there’s no one better for the position, and I say that not only as your father but also as your future boss.”

Jacob stood up and rounded the desk so he could hug his father tightly. “Thanks, dad,” he mumbled into his shoulder, “I didn’t want to leave and if you really think I’m fit for this, I’ll stay.” Between the Headmaster, his dad, and Chris supporting him, there was no way he could step down.

“I’ll always have your back, little bear,” Jaewook said quietly, holding his son close. As a father, all he wanted for his son was happiness and success, and it broke his heart to see Jacob doubting himself so much. 

Jacob tightened his grip, not ready to let go yet. “Chris is gonna be really happy,” he said quietly, “he’s been talking me into staying for weeks.”

“Speaking of Chris,” Jaewook said, gently pulling himself away from his son and picking up Jacob’s left hand instead, “when were you planning on telling me about this?”

Jacob felt his face heat up. “Uh, over break,” he said honestly, “I didn’t mean to hide it, I just thought I’d tell you and mom together.”

“I assume Christopher has its twin?” Jaewook said, not really needing an answer, “what exactly do they promise?”

Jacob nodded and chewed on his lip. “We want to spend the rest of our lives together so we wanted to promise ourselves to each other,” he admitted quietly.

“That’s a lot of commitment, Jacob,” Jaewook said quietly. He knew his son would have thought about all of this already, but he had to play the fatherly role and remind him anyway.

“I know and we talked about it. They’re really more promise rings than anything,” Jacob explained, “I really love him, dad. He just makes me so happy and I never want to lose him.”

Jaewook smiled widely, and proudly. He knew it was this kind of loyalty that had made Jacob a Slytherin rather than a Ravenclaw like both of his parents. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy, little bear,” he said, “I’ll leave telling your mother up to you two though.”

“Thanks, dad,” Jacob said, “do you...do you think mom will be mad? I don’t know how to tell her but I know she’ll notice the ring immediately.”

“Mad, no. Concerned? For sure,” Jaewook said with a fond smile, “she’ll fuss over the two of you to no end. In the end, I think she’ll just be glad you’re happy.”

Jacob sighed in relief. “I’m really happy you both like Chris. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t approve of him,” he said. 

“I’m sure you would’ve stayed with him anyway,” Jaewook said knowingly, “you’ve never been more loyal to anyone else, except maybe Jeonginnie. You should bring him around sometime too.”

Jacob hummed. “Speaking of Jeongin. He’s got a little soft spot for one of the Hufflepuffs Chris keeps an eye on,” he said.

“He’s grown quite a bit since the last time I saw him then,” Jaewook said with a fond shake of his head, “pretty sure he still believed in cooties back then.”

Jacob chuckled quietly. “I wouldn’t doubt it. He’s actually been doing a lot better this year. The Hufflepuffs adopted him into their group so he’s making some new friends and the rumors are starting to die down,” he said. 

“That’s good,” the Auror said with a sigh, “he’s been needing that. I’m sure the recent expulsion has helped with the rumors some as well. It seems Kim Yugyeom was a perpetrator of many of the bad things that happened at the castle in recent years.”

“Yeah, he was a menace,” Jacob said, “I’m quite honestly glad he’s gone. I know we like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but he took everything way too far.”

“Far enough to be put on our watchlist,” Jaewook revealed, “nothing he did was quite bad enough for them to consider Azkaban, but he has no job prospects and a large amount of spite, so we’re keeping an eye on him. Needless to say, that doesn’t leave this room.”

Jacob’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded. “You know one of these days it’s gonna be me telling you all the dirty secrets,” he said with a small smile. 

“Oh, there’s still a good thirty years before we reach that point,” Jaewook said, “but I shouldn’t keep you much longer. I’m sure Christopher is wondering where you’ve disappeared to.”

“He knew I was coming, but I didn’t say how long I was staying for,” Jacob said. He hugged his father one more time. “Thanks for everything, dad.”

“Of course, little bear,” Jaewook said, grabbing a handful of Floo Powder to send his son back to school, “I’ll see you in a few weeks, alright?”

“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” Jacob affirmed, “I love you.” He stepped back into the fireplace in his father’s office. With one last smile he disappeared from the Ministry and reappeared at Hogwarts. He was sad to have left so soon, but at least he would be seeing his family in a few weeks. 

Chan was dozing off in one of the chairs in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room, waiting for Jacob to return. He startled awake when he heard the whoosh of the flames and sat up to find his boyfriend dusting himself off. “How did it go?” he asked.

“Really well,” Jacob said happily, “he’s going to have Minho’s parents over for tea during break and see what’s going on. We had a long chat about me staying as Head Boy. Oh, and he saw the ring and he was a little hesitant at first, but he approves!”

“That’s great, babe,” Chan said, standing up. He pulled Jacob into his arms and kissed his lips gently. “Let’s get to bed, yeah?”

Jacob kept one arm around Chan’s waist and guided him to his bedroom. The rest of the week went just as smooth and soon it was Friday once again, which everyone was grateful for except Seungmin. He trudged down to Jackson’s hut hesitantly, not knowing how the evening was going to go. 

Against what may have been his better judgment, Jeongin found himself bundling up and braving the cold November winds to venture to Jackson’s hut. He was glad to see Seungmin already there when he arrived and fell into step with the older boy as they entered the forest.

Seungmin tried to be his usual chipper self, but it was hard after what happened. Hopefully he could just blame it on being cold and make it through the next few hours without incidence. 

Jeongin stayed close to Seungmin tonight, hoping the proximity would help him stay a little warmer. The thestrals flocked around them both in a circle, eating straight from their hands.

Seungmin found himself naturally crowding closer to Jeongin to the point their shoulders were pressed together. “It’s freezing,” he mumbled through chattering teeth. Despite the numerous layers he had put on, it still wasn’t enough. 

“Come here,” Jeongin mumbled through frozen lips. He held his cape out and did his best to wrap part of it around Seungmin’s shivering shoulders. 

Seungmin pulled the cape around himself and pressed closer to Jeongin. “T-Thank you,” he whispered. Even the thestrals seemed to know they were cold and crowded closer, but it didn’t help as much. 

“It’s going to take forever to clean our hands,” Jeongin said with a small giggle, looking at the blood that covered his fingers as well as the front of his robes. “Maybe Jacob hyung will let us into the prefects’ bathroom so people don’t question why we’re so bloody.”

Seungmin nodded. “That’s probably a good idea,” he said. He looked down at his own hands and couldn’t tell if they were more red from the blood or the cold. Luckily Jackson called them over a few minutes later to start heading up early. 

Once they were back up at the castle, Jeongin all but dragged Seungmin to the Slytherin common room so they could accost Jacob and beg him to let him into the prefects’ bathroom. Surprisingly, he didn’t put up a fight, just took them upstairs, let them in, and bid them good night. 

Seungmin looked around the bathroom wide-eyed. He had forgotten how huge it was since the last time he was in here and he was surprised Jacob had left them to their own devices. “I can see how he and Chan hyung get along so well. They’re both so laid back,” he commented. 

“Oh, yeah, it’s great,” Jeongin said as he peeled off his bloody clothes, all the way down to the button down he wore under his sweater. 

Seungmin slipped off his robe and tried to remember the spell Chan used to clean it last time, but he was coming up empty. With a huff he dropped it on the floor and walked over to the sink. He pushed his sleeves up and got to work scrubbing his arms and hands. At least he still had good old soap and water when magic failed him. 

Jeongin dropped his clothes with Seungmin’s and stepped up to the sink next to him to scrub at his hands. “Break’s coming up,” he said conversationally, “any plans?”

Seungmin shook his head. “Nothing fancy,” he replied, “my dad and I just spend most of our time together catching up from the semester.” He bit his lip. He knew Jeongin spent his break in the castle so he didn’t want to ask anything further. 

“Do you get to talk to him at all throughout the year?” Jeongin asked curiously. He wasn’t sure if Seungmin’s dad knew how to use the Owl Post or anything like that.

“No, owls are too conspicuous so I never got one,” Seungmin said, “I don’t know if my dad would even want to do that. He’s never really liked birds that much.” He smiled fondly at the countless memories of his dad animatedly explaining his dislikes of birds.

“You know you can use a school owl, right?” Jeongin asked, “if you tell them you’re a Muggleborn, they’ll just drop it on your dad’s mat in the middle of the night. They’re crazy smart.”

“Really? I’ll have to try it one day. Maybe when we come back,” Seungmin said, “he wouldn’t be able to send anything back though.”

“There’s a way to send things back through the Muggle mail system,” Jeongin explained, “I’ll see if Jacob knows or if his dad can tell me.”

“That would be awesome. Thank you so much,” Seungmin said sincerely, “do you uh… do you get to visit Jacob at all during break?”

“I used to,” Jeongin said, “but I got in trouble for leaving the grounds and I just end up third wheeling him and Chan, so now I just stay at the castle.”

Seungmin frowned. That definitely wasn’t a fun way to spend break. “Would you want to come home with me for break?” he asked hesitantly, “I’d totally understand if you don’t, but I just wanted to offer.” He chewed nervously on his lip, not really sure how Jeongin would react. 

“Oh, no, Seungmin, I can’t impose on you like that,” Jeongin said hurriedly, “really, Christmas at the castle is fine. Jacob’s mom sends me fudge and there’s a nice dinner and I get Slytherin House all to myself. I’m okay, really.” Even as he said it, he could tell that he wasn’t convincing anyone.

“You wouldn’t impose at all. My dad loves company,” Seungmin said, “I can imagine it gets pretty lonely here. I know it’d be really different living without magic for a few weeks, but I promise it’s not all that bad.”

Jeongin couldn’t lie; he was seriously considering it. He hadn’t lived without magic, ever. Not being able to use it himself, sure, but never entirely without. Not only would he get to spend time with Seungmin but he’d also be able to see what it was actually like to be a Muggle. “Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly. 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Seungmin said with a smile, “my dad’s been wanting to meet my friends since I came here. And it would be really nice to hang out with someone rather than us both being alone.”

“I would really like that,” Jeongin admitted, finally turning off the water and grabbing a towel to dry his hands.

“Yeah?” Seungmin asked excitedly. He wasn’t expecting Jeongin to agree, but he was glad he did. “Jacob would be okay with that right?” The older boy didn’t seem like he would mind, but he wanted to be sure. 

“Jacob’s not actually my dad,” Jeongin said with a laugh, “besides, he’ll just be happy I’m making friends.”

“Well yeah. I just wouldn’t want to make him mad. He seems really nice, but he’s kinda scary,” Seungmin said quietly. 

“Jacob? Scary?” Jeongin spluttered, “Have you _met_ him? As long as you don’t, like, damage Chan, Jacob’s harmless.”

“I don’t know. He’s just not someone I’d ever want to make mad,” Seungmin said sheepishly. He dropped his eyes back to the sink and finally turned the water off. 

“Jacob doesn’t get mad,” Jeongin said, “he just gets disappointed. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of it too many times.”

Seungmin cracked a small smile. “I don’t think I want to make him disappointed either,” he said lightly. He turned back around and sighed when he saw his still bloody robe on the floor. “I should get back to the common room before Chan gets worried that I’m late.”

“I bet Chan’s in the Slytherin common room anyway, so why don’t you come back downstairs with me?” Jeongin suggested. He bundled his clothes up so that the blood was on the inside.

Seungmin easily agreed and bundled his robe up like Jeongin did. “I haven’t spent a lot of time in any of the other houses’ common rooms,” he said. 

“I’ve never been in Gryffindor,” Jeongin said as he led the way out of the prefects’ bathroom into the chilly hallway, “but Ravenclaw’s really fancy and ours is...gothic? I don’t know. It’s Slytherin. Hufflepuff’s is the homiest, I think.”

Seungmin smiled softly. “Yeah, Hufflepuff is really cozy,” he said, “I wouldn’t hold your breath trying to get to Gryffindor. Jisung told us how much trouble any of them would get for bringing someone not from the House back. It might just be for the team, but I doubt it.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a Yugyeom rule,” Jeongin said, “pretty sure if the Head Boy won’t report non-Slytherins in his House then Gryffindor shouldn’t be either. To each their own though, I guess.”

Seungmin nodded sadly. “When I first got here one of the first things my friends told me was that there wasn’t as much tension between all of the houses anymore, but that’s not true at all,” he said quietly. 

“There’s still tension, it just isn’t the same kind of tension it used to be,” Jeongin said, “a lot of people, especially people who really only have their parents’ assumptions to go off of, think that just because people like Slytherin now that everything’s okay, but we’ve clearly seen this year how many issues there still are. I was talking about it I think with Changbin, about how Gryffindor has been having a lot of trouble because they can’t push all the blame to Slytherin to hide their own blood purity problems anymore.”

Seungmin sighed. “That’s what happened with Jisung,” he said sadly, “I just don’t understand how you could not like someone simply because they’re in a different House. That’s the one thing about Hogwarts I’ll never understand.”

“Hopefully, it won’t take an entire war to solve the problem this time,” Jeongin said with a sigh. They reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room and he mumbled the password so he could lead Seungmin inside.

“Hopefully,” Seungmin mumbled. He stepped inside and walked slowly into the common room, not straying far from Jeongin’s side.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Yes, we are back. You may notice that W****n has been changed to another lovely 97-line: Jacob from The Boyz! We will be continuing the story as planned with Jacob instead. We will also be posting a double update tonight to make sure everyone gets notified of the change, so look out for another chapter in a little bit!
> 
> \- Ash and Michelle

“Jacob hyung,” Jeongin called, dragging Seungmin across the common room toward the fireplace, where Chan and Jacob were laying on the couch.

Jacob looked up and was surprised to see Jeongin walking through the room. “Hi, Innie,” he said a little confused, “what are you doing here?” He sat up slightly, careful not to dislodge Chan.

“I live here?” Jeongin said, momentarily thrown off by the question, “but we need your help! Our robes are all bloody and neither of us can remember the spell to clean them.”

“Yes, but you’re usually in the Hufflepuff dorm playing chess right now, but I guess I don’t have to ask what you need,” Jacob said, “give me your robes.” He sat up a little more and reached for his wand, choosing not to mention that he had definitely taught Jeongin the correct spell before. 

Jeongin handed over his and Seungmin’s robes to Jacob. “I’m gonna go get changed quick,” he informed everyone before darting off to his bedroom.

Seungmin shifted on his feet nervously, but was sure to pay attention to the spell Jacob used. “Here these should be much better,” the Slytherin said, handing back the cleaned robe. “Thank you,” Seungmin mumbled, taking the garment and stepping back from the couch. He hoped Jeongin came back quickly, he felt like he was intruding on something. 

Jeongin changed into much more comfortable clothes before heading back out to the common room. “Thanks, hyung,” he said, taking the clothes from Jacob. “Minnie, do you want to stay here or go play chess?”

“Could we stay in here?” Seungmin asked slowly, “it’s really cool.” He couldn’t help himself from looking all around the common room and admiring how different it was from his own. It was darker, only low lamp light surrounded them, casting weird shadows across the floors and walls. It was relatively plain as far as decor and furniture went. The only decorations being pins and awards from past students and teams above the mantle. Most of the room was a cool gray save for the faded green fabric of the couches and curtains.

“Sure,” Jeongin said agreeably, “I can set up Jacob’s chessboard if you want. You think I’m good, he’s amazing.”

Seungmin nodded and turned back to the couch when Jacob chuckled quietly. “I’ve heard you’re pretty good yourself, Seungmin,” he said. Seungmin immediately shook his head. “No, I’m not really that good. I just have a lot of practice,” he said quickly. 

“We usually play as a team,” Jeongin explained, “Seungmin’s almost as good as me.”

“Well I guess we’ll have to see how good you two really are,” Jacob said, “are you gonna help me or am I on my own?” He turned to look down at Chan who was still practically laying on him. 

“The kids don’t need to be slaughtered any extra,” Chan joked. He sat up so that Jacob could get up, move to the floor, and summon his chess set from his room. 

“Oh, I’m sure they do just fine against you,” Jacob teased back. He set up the board and motioned for the boys to sit down. “I’ll even let you be white today.”

“You say that like you don’t let me be white every time,” Jeongin said, tugging Seungmin to sit down next to him. Across the board from them, Jacob leaned back against the couch and Chan wrapped around him from behind, watching the game tiredly.

Seungmin sat down next to Jeongin, but his focus wasn’t on the board. Even though Chan was obviously tired, he could tell how much he cared about Jacob. He hadn’t really seen them together before, but it was actually really cute. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Jeongin made the first move. 

Jeongin could tell that Jacob was going easy on them for Seungmin’s sake. The third year kept catching his own mistakes after a move, mistakes that easily should have landed them in check, and Jacob ignored them.

Seungmin was surprised Jacob was going so easy on them. At one point he decided to just watch so he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. It seemed like every time he played chess lately, he would get distracted by something. 

Eventually, Jacob did decide to stop flinging Jeongin around and end the game, making the youngest boy pout. “Either kill me or don’t,” he complained, “don’t drag me through the mud.”

A small smile pulled at Seungmin’s lip when he saw Jeongin pout. “How did you get so good?” he asked Jacob hesitantly. 

“His mom is an international Wizarding chess champion,” Jeongin said, not even giving Jacob a chance to open his mouth, “she’s incredible.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened. “Whoa that’s so cool,” he said. Jacob smiled softly. “Yeah, I’ve been playing chess long before I even knew the rules to the game,” he said with a small chuckle, “it was always assumed that I’d be good too, but I still am nowhere near as good as her.”

“She taught me too, but I only lived with them for a year, so I’m nowhere near as good as hyung,” Jeongin explained.

“You’ll have to come back,” Jacob said, “she’ll be happy to see how much you improved.” He waved his wand and watched as the pieces began to be put back together and march back towards their starting squares. 

“Maybe I’ll visit for Easter then,” Jeongin said, “I really do miss your parents a lot.” They were the only suitable guardians he’d ever had after his own parents.

Jacob smiled. “I could probably sneak you out for Christmas if you want,” he offered, “they miss you a lot too.”

“I’m, uh, not staying at the castle for break this year,” Jeongin said, “not that I want to be around for your mother freaking out about your rings anyway.”

“Oh? Where are you going this year?” Jacob asked, sneaking a look at Seungmin. The Hufflepuff bit his lip and stared at the floor. 

“Seungminnie invited me to spend the break with him and his dad,” Jeongin said happily, bouncing a little as he glanced at Seungmin.

Jeongin’s excitement was contagious and Seungmin couldn’t help himself from smiling too. “Oh that’s wonderful,” Jacob said happily, “I’m glad you’re getting out of the castle this year.” He was glad the boys would get to spend some more time together away from school. 

“Yeah, I’m really excited,” Jeongin said happily. This would be the closest thing to a real Christmas he’d had since he was a little kid, with the exception of the one year he spent with Jacob’s family.

Jacob hadn’t seen Jeongin this happy since he had met the boy and he was incredibly grateful for Seungmin. The fourth year had really been so good for Jeongin. “I want to hear about everything. I want to know if Chan has been telling me the truth about different Muggle contraptions,” he said.

Chan gasped, mocking offense. “I can’t believe you think I would lie to you, baby,” he said with a pout.

Jacob did his best to turn around to look at Chan. “I’ve been with you long enough to not trust you on some things,” he teased. Seungmin wrinkled his nose at the pet name; he had never seen Chan be so affectionate before and it was weird. 

Chan pouted but tipped Jacob’s head back to kiss his nose anyway. “Minnie, do you want Cobi to teach you how to play better?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, that’d be great,” Seungmin said, grateful for the distraction, “Hyunjin’s almost better than me and I need some new tricks.”

Jeongin scooted back, allowing Seungmin to take over the board. Now that he wasn’t the one that needed to focus, he was quickly getting tired and soon found himself slumping against Seungmin’s back so he could still watch without falling over.

Seungmin did his best to sit up straight enough for Jeongin to lean against him without falling. The younger boy was actually pretty warm and it was nice against the cold chill of the common room. He couldn’t believe how many tips and tricks Jacob had and he was doing his best to remember them all, but it was getting harder the more tired he got. 

“Alright,” Chan said after Seungmin almost toppled into the chessboard, “I think it’s time for you and I to head back upstairs, Minnie.”

Seungmin muffled a yawn and nodded in response. “Thank you for teaching me, Jacob hyung,” he said. He was about to stand up when he realized that Jeongin had fallen asleep. “Hey, Jeongin. I gotta go back to my room.” He reached behind him and gently tapped the boy’s side. 

Jeongin whined and clung tighter to whatever it was he was laying on. “No,” he mumbled, “I’m too comfy.”

“Jeongin, you gotta let go,” Seungmin said gently, “I’m sorry, but we both have to go to bed.” He was surprised that the younger boy was being so clingy, but he chalked it up to him being tired. 

Jeongin whined again but finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. He was so sleepy that it didn’t even register to him that the thing he’d been asleep on was, in fact, Seungmin. He stifled a yawn as he bid goodbye to Chan and Seungmin then let Jacob help him into bed.

Seungmin followed Chan out of the common room and up the stairs to their own. “I’m sorry we interrupted your date,” he said quietly.

“You weren’t interrupting anything, Minnie, don’t worry,” Chan reassured the boy, “Jacob and I were just hanging out, that’s all.”

“Just hanging out?” Seungmin asked with a raised eyebrow, “anyways, you guys are really cute together. And I’ve never seen you so affectionate before.”

Chan flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m affectionate with you guys,” he said defensively, “just not in the same way.”

“You’re gentler with him,” Seungmin said, “not that you’re not gentle with us, but it’s just really obvious how much you care. It’s cute, hyung. Maybe one night instead of playing chess you could tell us the story of how you guys got together.”

“It’s not a complicated story,” Chan said with a shrug, “we grew up together and danced around each other for a while before he finally grew the balls to do something about it. Not much to it.”

“Oh come on. He had to have done something romantic to win your heart,” Seungmin prompted. He was a sucker for stories like this, especially Chan’s. 

“Nothing in particular,” Chan said, “he’s just Jacob. There’s nothing else to it.”

Seungmin pouted. “You two are boring,” he said, “but don’t tell Jacob hyung I said that.”

“That’s what happens once you get out of the honeymoon phase,” Chan said, “I’m sure you and Jeongin will be boring soon enough.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened and he stuttered a minute trying to get his words together. “Jeongin and I are just friends,” he said quickly.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Chan said, “I’ve just never seen him so...all over someone like that before. He isn’t even on Jacob like that.”

“I think he was just really tired,” Seungmin said, “he’s never been that clingy before.” Even at their other chess nights Jeongin hadn’t been like this, and Seungmin had a hard time believing there was no one else in the castle that Jeongin was like that with.

“The kid likes you,” Chan said, “I’m telling you, Minnie, I think he’s got a crush.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I overheard him and Jacob hyung talking in the library one day,” he admitted, “Jacob hyung kept teasing him, but Jeongin was insistent that he doesn’t like me and it didn’t sound defensive.”

“I’m just saying, maybe you should just take a chance on it,” Chan said as they finally reached the common room.

“I don’t know, hyung. I almost lost him once and I really don’t want to risk it again,” Seungmin said sadly, “he’s really nice and I’d rather just stay friends than ruin anything.”

Chan hummed. “Well, you’ll be spending three weeks alone with him,” he said, “so I’m sure you two will be able to figure it out.”

Seungmin nodded and yawned. He walked across the common room and was about to enter his own room when he paused and turned back around. “Hey, hyung. Is it all it’s cracked up to be? Being in a relationship,” he asked quietly. 

“Depends on what you expect from a relationship,” Chan said, “it’s nice knowing that you have someone there to support you no matter what, but if you go into it looking for a caretaker or just for a quote unquote good time, it’s going to be rough.”

Seungmin nodded. “Thanks, hyung,” he said quietly. With that he bid Chan a goodnight and slipped into his own room, hoping he didn’t wake up any of his roommates.

A few weeks later, Jeongin was bouncing in his seat on the train. They were almost back to King’s Cross Station for the start of winter break. He was excited to meet Seungmin’s dad and see what it was like living without any magic.

When they got back to the station Seungmin bid goodbye to Felix, Hyunjin, and Chan before grabbing Jeongin by the hand and dragging him off of the train. He scanned the crowd and his eyes lit up when he saw his dad, standing off to the side not really sure what to do with himself. “Come on,” he said to Jeongin. He raced across the platform and all but tackled his dad in a huge hug. 

Jeongin hadn’t realized that Seungmin’s dad would be able to make it through the barrier, but he supposed it made sense. It was certainly much safer for him to pick Seungmin up on the platform rather than outside the station altogether.

“Dad! You made it in on your own this time,” Seungmin said excitedly. Seungmin’s dad immediately returned the hug. “Hi, Minnie! Yeah, I did, but I got a little help from someone who could tell I was lost,” he admitted with a laugh. Seungmin realized quickly that he should introduce Jeongin so he stepped to the side, but still kept a tight grip on his dad. “This is Jeongin. He’s a friend of mine and I invited him to spend break with us so he didn’t have to stay up at the castle,” he explained. 

Jeongin suddenly felt very shy. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kim,” he said, bowing slightly even though he had no idea if Seungmin’s dad adhered to Korean etiquette.

Heechul smiled widely. “Hi, Jeongin, it’s nice to meet you. Please don’t worry about formalities,” he said with a wave of his hand, “come on, let’s get to the car. I’m sure you guys are hungry.”

Jeongin had never ridden in a car before. He’d almost always travelled by side-along Apparition or by Floo, depending on the matter. The contraption itself didn’t look too intimidating, but the way it shook once started left him a little wary.

Seungmin reached over and rubbed Jeongin’s shoulder supportively when he saw his apprehensive look. “It’s okay. Cars aren’t usually this loud, but this one’s just really old. Here let me help you with the seatbelt,” he said. He reached over and made sure Jeongin didn’t get tangled. 

Jeongin was surprised by the strange contraption he had to put on, but it made sense once the car lurched forward and joined the flow of quick moving vehicles. Surprisingly, they weren’t in the car for too long before Seungmin’s dad pulled into an apartment parking lot.

“See, not too bad?” Seungmin said. He unbuckled Jeongin’s seatbelt before his own and climbed out of the car. “Jeongin’s spent his whole life in the wizarding world so he hasn’t seen a lot of the stuff we have,” he explained to his dad. Heechul smiled supportively. “You’d probably want to explore the apartment then,” he said turning to Jeongin, “why don’t you guys head up and I’ll be right behind you with your stuff?” Seungmin took the keys from his dad and pulled Jeongin toward the door. 

Jeongin let himself be pulled along, feeling out of his depth. Seungmin’s apartment was bigger than it looked on the outside and absolutely covered with pictures of the boy. He was surprised to see a few magical pictures on the walls as well as stationary childhood photos.

“I know it’s not as big as the common rooms back at school, but you can go wherever you want,” Seungmin said apologetically, “and nothing will bite you if you touch it.”

Jeongin slowly explored the sitting room of the apartment, which was the first room that the front door opened into. “Is this your mom?” he asked, picking up a framed photo off of what appeared to be a small shrine in the front window.

Seungmin walked over and looked at the picture with a sad smile. “Yeah, that’s her. She would have absolutely loved you and probably asked you a million questions about what it’s like to be a wizard,” he said. 

“She was really pretty,” Jeongin said, “you’re a spitting image of her, but I guess people probably have told you that a lot, right?”

Seungmin nodded. “Yeah, they did, but I didn’t start hearing it until after she was gone. I think people thought it would be comforting, but it wasn’t back then. I couldn’t even look in a mirror without breaking down for a long time,” he said, “it’s a lot better now though.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeongin said. He had also heard a few times that he looked like his mother, but he had no recollection of what she looked like, nor did he have any pictures of his parents. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to look in the mirror and only see your deceased parent.

“It’s alright,” Seungmin assured, he dropped his voice when his dad came in the front door, “I think it was a lot harder on my dad, but he never admitted it.” His eyes trailed to the pictures lining the windowsill. 

“It’s nice that you have this for her,” Jeongin said, carefully setting the picture back in its place. He didn’t mean to ruin the mood already, but he couldn’t help his curiosity.

“Yeah, I like looking back on all the good times we had together. I’m scared I’m not gonna remember as much ‘cause I was so young, but it’s nice to have the pictures,” Seungmin said, “come on. I’ll show you my room. There’s not a ton of space, but it’s all yours for all of break.” He slowly turned away from the window and walked down a short hallway.

Jeongin followed Seungmin down the hallway, picking up his bag from where Mr. Kim had left it in the hallway. 

“That’s my dad’s room and that’s the bathroom,” Seungmin said, pointing out the doors, “and here’s mine.” He opened the door to reveal a small room with only a bed and a desk. It was neat and organized save for the numerous books piled on the desk. 

“It’s cute,” Jeongin said. It reminded him of the room he’d had at Jacob’s house; small and simple, but homey nonetheless.

Seungmin sat on the edge of the bed. “My aunt says I should decorate it whenever she comes over, but I don’t even know what I’d do. I really want a bookcase, but it won’t fit,” he said. 

“I guess you can’t really hang any House decorations, can you?” Jeongin mused as he sat down in the desk chair. “Maybe we can go shopping and find something.”

Seungmin shook his head. “The only one in my family that knows is my dad so I’d have to take it all down everytime people came over. We’re lucky with the pictures though ‘cause they stop moving on their own,” he said, “yeah shopping would be fun. There’s a mall not far from here, but my dad would have to drive us.”

“There’s an underground train in London right?” Jeongin asked, “we could try to go to Diagon Alley too. Jacob usually goes the week before Christmas so we could try and meet up with him and Chan.”

“Yeah there is. That would be a lot of fun! And it would be nice to surprise Chan hyung,” Seungmin said excitedly. He didn’t get the chance to see anyone during break so it would be nice to see Chan hyung and even Jacob. “I’m surprised how affectionate they’ve been lately. They used to keep everything so quiet.”

“Since their whole deal with the rings, they’ve been a lot more public about things,” Jeongin said, “I think they’ve stopped caring what people think about them, honestly.”

“Good for them. I think Chan hyung is a lot happier,” Seungmin commented. He swung his legs absently against the bed. “Oh you can put your stuff wherever there’s room. You don’t have to live in your bag if you want to unpack some stuff.”

“I’m going to be sleeping on the couch?” Jeongin questioned, glancing around Seungmin’s tiny room. He certainly wasn’t going to let Seungmin give up his bed for him.

Seungmin shook his head. “No, absolutely not. That thing is older than both of us and not comfortable at all. You can stay in here and I’ll sleep on an air mattress in my dad’s room,” he said. 

“What? Seungmin, no, it’s your bed,” Jeongin argued, “we can pull the air mattress in here and I’ll take it.”

“My house, my rules,” Seungmin said firmly, “I don’t mind staying in here if you want, but you’ll be the most comfortable in bed.” 

“Maybe I want to try the air mattress,” Jeongin said, “I’m supposed to be trying Muggle things, right?”

Seungmin frowned. That was clever and he didn’t really have a way out of it. “Fine, you can try it on the condition that you’re honest if you can’t sleep. Deal?” he asked.

“Trust me, if I can’t sleep, you’ll know,” Jeongin joked. In all honesty, he could sleep anywhere on anything.

“I better,” Seungmin grumbled, unsuccessfully trying to sound threatening. He had never really been good at being intimidating. 

Jeongin rolled his eyes fondly. He got up and put his bag on the bed to open it. “Where can I put my clothes?” he asked.

“There should be some room in the closet. If not, the bottom two drawers of my desk are empty. Which you could probably guess what was in them,” Seungmin said. He stared at the books he had to organize but that was definitely a project for another time.

Jeongin pulled open the drawers, not wanting to intrude on Seungmin’s privacy in his closet. He carefully moved his clothes into the drawer and gently kicked it closed. 

Seungmin turned when he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. “Oh, hi there. Did you wake up from a nap to come say hello?” he asked. His cat blinked up at him before leaping onto the bed and settling down in the spot next to him. “You don’t mind cats do you?” he asked Jeongin nervously. He should have mentioned his pet before now, but he was too excited about Jeongin agreeing to come.

“No, I’m not allergic or anything,” Jeongin said, shaking his head. Of course, he had never owned a cat either, but petting one was pretty straightforward.

“Oh good,” Seungmin said, relieved. “Well this is Yams. That’s not his real name, but it kinda stuck ever since we got him so it’s basically his real name,” he said with a small giggle, “he’s really cuddly once he gets to know you so you might wake up with him sitting on your chest one day, but he usually stays with my dad.”

“Hi there, Yams,” Jeongin said, holding his hand out for the kitty to sniff. He wasn’t going to voice it but he was glad that Mr. Kim wasn’t completely alone here while Seungmin was away at school.

The cat sniffed Jeongin’s fingers before pushing his head into the boy’s hand. “That means he wants you to scratch him,” Seungmin said, “he’s very demanding, but his cuddles are worth it. My dad spoils him to no end so he thinks he’s king of the world.”

“I know how cats work,” Jeongin said with a small laugh, “I’ve just never had one of my own. I only get a small stipend from the Ministry.” He absently scratched the cat behind his ears. 

“Oh right,” Seungmin said sheepishly, “cats are so great. Especially him. He always knows when I’m upset and he’ll just come lay with me. He won’t move or make a peep either, he’ll just lay down until I have the energy to get up. Sometimes I miss him more than my dad when I’m at school, but don’t say anything.”

“Minho has a couple of cats,” Jeongin said quietly, “he used to let me play with them, back before everything went to shit.”

“He still hasn’t come around? I’m so sorry. I bet that’s still really hard,” Seungmin said. He was still wary of Minho, but he knew that the older boy was one of Jeongin’s best friends and it’s hard to lose a close friendship.

“I haven’t even seen him in weeks,” Jeongin said with a sigh, “Jacob says he’s in pretty rough shape, but he hasn’t really been able to talk to him either.”

“Oh wow that doesn’t sound good at all,” Seungmin said quietly. He wondered what had happened for everything to fall apart so quickly.

“Yeah,” Jeongin said sadly, “I just hope things go back to normal soon.”

Yams stepped onto Seungmin’s lap so he could push his head against Jeongin’s hand more insistently. A few minutes later, Heechul called down the hallway letting the boys know that dinner was ready. 

Jeongin followed Seungmin down the hall to the kitchen. He trailed the boy as he set the table before sitting down to eat. 


	16. Chapter 16

Jacob was actually a bit nervous to be going home. He had no idea how his mom would react to the ring. At least if she was angry with him, he and Chan could wait to tell all their parents about moving in together.

Chan had decided to go home with Jacob first before actually going to his own house. His parents would be joining them for dinner anyway, so it only made sense to take advantage of the time.

“How much do you wanna bet my mom’s gonna be more excited to see you than me?” Jacob asked as he let them into his house. They didn’t even make it into the door before an excited “Christopher is here!” rang out from the kitchen. Jacob shook his head. “See? You’d think she hasn’t seen you in years.”

Chan smiled and rolled his eyes before greeting Jacob’s mom cheerily. They left their bags in the entryway and wandered into the kitchen to find her at the counter, overseeing a variety of mobile utensils. 

Sunmi turned around and smiled widely. “My boys are home,” she said happily. She walked across the kitchen and enveloped Chan in a tight hug. “Hi, mom, I missed you too,” Jacob teased. “Give me a minute, Jacob. Can’t you see I’m busy?” Sunmi replied. 

“Yeah, Cobi, can’t you see she’s busy?” Chan teased, winking at his boyfriend over the woman’s shoulder. 

Jacob threw up his hands and went to sit down. “I see how it is. The golden child comes home and suddenly I’m chopped liver,” he said jokingly. “Oh my goodness, Jacob, when did you become so whiny?” Sunmi chastised, finally letting go of Chan. 

Chan rolled his eyes fondly and moved over to kiss the top of Jacob’s head. “I can’t help it if your mom likes me more than you,” he said.

Jacob pouted, but stood back up when his mother finally walked over to him. “There. Are you happy you got your hug now?” Sunmi teased as she hugged her son. 

Jaewook had heard the commotion from the kitchen and so had abandoned his work to go and greet his son and his boyfriend. “Christopher, it’s nice to see you again,” he said, shaking the boy’s hand and clapping him on the shoulder. “What’s cooking, darling? It smells good.”

Sunmi smiled and pulled back so she could see Jacob properly. “Oh nothing fancy. Just some chicken,” she replied nonchalantly, “I thought Jacob and Chris deserved a nice home cooked meal their first day home.” Jacob’s eyes lit up and he hugged his mom tightly again. 

“My parents should be here soon,” Chan said, “my dad usually gets home around now so they’ll be over any minute.”

“Oh wonderful. I’m looking forward to seeing them. It’s been a while,” Sunmi said happily, “Jacob can you hug someone else, please? I have to finish cooking.” Jacob reluctantly let go of his mother and went to wrap himself around Chan instead. 

“You’re very clingy tonight,” Chan said quietly, just for Jacob’s ears, “happy to be home?” Before the older boy could answer, the doorbell rang.

Jacob hummed and gave his boyfriend a gentle squeeze before releasing him to go see his parents. He wanted to give them all a minute to catch up before he said hello. 

Chan went to let his parents into the house and gave them each warm hugs. They chatted a bit before he led them to the kitchen, where Jacob’s mom was finishing up cooking.

“Perfect timing,” Sunmi said. A wave of her wand sent the finished dishes to the dining room so she could greet her friends. Jacob also greeted Chan’s parents with a hug each before grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and pulling him into the dining room. 

Chan sat next to Jacob, fiddling with his ring nervously as he waited for their parents to sit down. He was apprehensive about how the inevitable conversation was about to go.

Jacob squeezed Chan’s thigh supportively. “Let’s get through dinner and then we can talk to them,” he said. He wanted to give all of their parents a chance to catch up before having such an important conversation. 

“They’re going to notice it the second we start eating,” Chan said nervously, “then they’re gonna ask and they’re gonna yell and Jacob, I don’t think I can do this.”

Jacob took both of Chan’s hands in his own. “You can take it off and hide it if you aren’t ready for them to find out right now,” he said gently, “I won’t be upset.” 

“No,” Chan said stubbornly, “I’m not taking it off. I’m just nervous, baby. What if they’re mad?”

“They’re not gonna be,” Jacob assured, “they might be a little surprised, but they won’t be mad. They know how much we care about each other and this is just proving that. And if they are mad, we’ll tell them this was all my idea and they can be mad at me and not you.”

“The rings were your idea, but the whole thing was mine,” Chan hissed, dropping his voice as their parents filed into the room and sat down.

Jacob leaned over and kissed Chan’s cheek. “Everything’s going to be okay,” he whispered soothingly. With a small smile he pulled away and started helping himself to the food. Luckily, their parents were used to their affections by now so they could avoid questions for a few more minutes.

Chan took a deep breath and nodded. They would be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

Jacob recounted the beginning of the year for both his mother and Chan’s parents, explaining what happened to Minho and Yugyeom. Halfway through his retelling, he reached for a roll and froze when he heard his mother gasp. “Jacob, what is that on your hand?” she asked. Jacob pulled back his hand and smiled as he looked down. “It’s a ring,” he replied simply. Here went nothing.

Chan’s hand found Jacob’s under the table. He had hoped they had a little more time before they had this conversation, but that clearly was not the case. 

“Let me see it,” Sunmi said. Jacob extended his hand slowly. Sunmi took her son’s hand and examined the ring closely. “It’s a promise ring,” Jacob said, answering the question that was hanging in the air. 

Jaewook fixed his son with a look. “I think we all know that’s not exactly true, son,” he said quietly.

Jacob snuck a look at Chan and took a deep breath. “Okay, it’s a little bit more than a promise ring,” he admitted, “we want to get married after graduation. And I know this is a big decision, but we’ve talked a lot about it and we already planned on moving in together,” he said. 

“Channie, is this true?” Chan’s mom asked, turning to her son. Chan nodded slowly and put his own ringed hand above the table. “Yeah, mom,” he said quietly, “it’s true.”

“Do you two understand how serious of a commitment this is?” Sunmi asked seriously. “Yes, mom, we-,” Jacob began before being cut off. “I know you two talked about this, but do you understand what goes into a marriage? It’s more than just moving in together and being in love,” she said. 

“Chan, honey, are you sure about this?” his mother asked gently, “Sunmi’s right, this is a lot more responsibility and commitment than you two may realize.”

“This is also a very important decision to make without any of our permission,” Sunmi added. Jacob pulled his hand out of his mother’s and grabbed Chan’s hand. He took one look at his boyfriend and knew that they had made the right decision. “I know that spending the rest of my life with someone is more than just spending time together. It’s about supporting each other through the good and the bad. It’s about sticking together when it would be easier to give everything up. And it’s about celebrating life together when no one else is looking,” Jacob said, keeping his eyes on Chan, “and I’m prepared to do each and every one of those things and more until the day I die.”

Chan felt like he was going to cry. When did Jacob become such a romantic? Clearing his throat, he looked down at their hands and squeezed gently. “We’ve thought about it,” he said finally, looking back up at his parents, “I’ve been thinking about it since I was fourteen and Jacob finally gave me the time of day. This isn’t just...a passing thing.”

Sunmi sat back and looked at her husband. “What do you think of all of this?” she asked. She knew this was coming, but she at least thought they would have a few more years. 

“I think the boys are adults and capable of making their own decisions,” Jaewook said calmly, “we’ve all been expecting this. What’s the difference if it’s a few years earlier than we thought? They’re not getting married tomorrow, my love, all they’re doing is making their intentions clear.”

Jacob looked away from Chan to smile up at his dad. Sunmi sighed and turned her attention to Chan’s parents. “Do you approve of this?” she asked. 

Chan’s father studied him carefully. “Whose idea?” he asked, “who...popped the question, as it were?” “I did,” Chan said quietly. Yongguk nodded. “Then I approve. I haven’t known my son to ever make a decision without thinking about every possible thing that could go wrong.”

“Where did the rings come from?” Sunmi asked next. Jacob’s small smile turned into a smirk of pride. “We conjured them,” he replied. “Conjured them?” his mother asked with a raised eyebrow, “where did you learn how to do that?” “I taught myself. That library really is good for things other than studying,” Jacob replied proudly.

“Fairly certain that’s illegal magic for someone of your age,” Jaewook chastised, “but I’m proud of you. A spell like that takes a lot of emotional investment.”

“Chris didn’t even need practice,” Jacob said quietly, “I’ve been teaching myself this spell for a long time, but Chris picked it up immediately.” His boyfriend truly was absolutely incredible. 

Chan flushed. “The point is that we’re committed to each other, enough to have conjured the rings in the first place,” he said.

Jacob smiled and raised Chan’s hand to his lips so he could kiss the back of it. “I think breaking the law is a pretty good indicator we’re serious,” he said. 

Jaewook chuckled at that. “I suppose so,” he said, “I think as long as you two can promise that all of this will wait until you’ve graduated, we can agree that there’s no problem here.”

Jacob nodded immediately. “We promise,” he said sincerely, “thank you for supporting us.” He snuck a look at his mom and knew that he was going to have to have a private conversation with her later.

“Thank you,” Chan said quietly, peeking up at his own parents. They didn’t look overwhelmingly pleased, but they didn’t look angry either, which he supposed was good.

“The only thing sweeter than you is the cake we’re about to have,” Jacob whispered a little louder than he planned. He just wanted to see Chan smile and try to end the night on a positive note. “You get your sappiness from your father,” Sunmi said, rolling your eyes. She waved her wand and the dirty dishes from dinner cleared themselves away to make room for dessert. 

“Shut  _ up _ ,” Chan groaned, “you’re such a sap tonight; when did that happen?” Not that he didn’t like it, but it certainly was...not particularly in character for his boyfriend.

Jacob chuckled. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the water,” he said lightly. He snuck a look at his mom and was grateful to see her smiling.

“Stupid,” Chan muttered, but he still snuck his hand to hold Jacob’s under the table. He was glad that their parents had taken the news well.

Jacob pouted. “Here, why don’t you try some cake and tell me how it came out,” Sunmi said as plates settled themselves in front of everyone, “it’ll keep your mouth busy so you don’t say anything else to embarrass poor Christopher.” 

Chan flushed even deeper. He loved Jacob so much, but the older boy certainly was a lot. He took the liberty of scooping up a bite of his cake and shoving it in his boyfriend’s mouth so he couldn’t say anything else.

“Why do you keep ganging up on me?” Jacob mumbled around his cake. “Jacob, it’s rude to talk with food in your mouth,” Sunmi chastised. Jacob huffed and finally fell silent. 

“It’s okay, babe,” Chan said quietly, “just eat your cake and you can be as cheesy as you want when we’re not in front of our parents, alright?”

“Deal,” Jacob said. And Chan kept his promise. The following week they finally had the whole house to themselves and Jacob wanted nothing more than to cuddle with his boyfriend until Chan got sick of him.

After a week of being cooped up, Chan was excited to finally get out of the house. He and Jacob would be taking the train to meet Seungmin and Jeongin at Diagon Alley and do some last minute holiday shopping.

It didn’t take long for them to find Jeongin and Seungmin when they got off the train. The two boys immediately ran over and tackled their respective dads, already babbling about how much they missed them.

Chan happily let Seungmin hang off of him as they ducked into the pub and made their way through to Diagon Alley. “Where did you boys want to go first?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to think of something fun to get my dad, but I’m still not sure,” Seungmin said, “do you think you could help me find something he would like?”

“Of course,” Chan said, “although I’m sure Jeongin knows a lot more about the trinkets than I do. There’s a store down there that sells little novelty stuff for Muggle relatives.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Seungmin said, “Jeongin’s been giving me a lot of ideas. I just don’t know what to do. I’m so bad at picking stuff.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out, Minnie, don’t you worry,” Chan said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

Seungmin smiled happily. “Are you gonna try and find something for Jacob hyung?” he whispered.

“I am,” Chan said, “we didn’t get to go to the last Hogsmeade weekend, so I still haven’t been able to get him anything.”

“Why don’t we split up? I can help you find something and keep it hidden and Jeongin can catch up with Jacob hyung,” Seungmin suggested. 

“That sounds like a good idea,” Chan said. He turned and relayed the idea to Jacob, who agreed. They made a plan to meet up in two hours then went their separate ways.

Seungmin was happy to spend time with Chan. He really missed the older boy and he wanted to make the most of all of the time he had left to bother him. He spent most of the walk just listening to Chan talk and it was calming in contrast to the hecticness of the shoppers all around them. Faster than he would have liked the two hours had gone by and they were heading back, presents in hand, to meet up with Jeongin and Jacob.

“Did you have fun?” Jeongin asked Seungmin when they were all back together. He had gotten a gift for Seungmin that he knew the older boy was going to love. Chan and Jacob guided them to a restaurant for a quick lunch then they parted ways.

“Jacob hyung looked really happy to see you,” Seungmin commented when they started walking back. He was already disappointed that their day was over, but he would see Chan again soon when they went back to school.

“He was,” Jeongin said, “I guess they’ve just been cooped up at his house since they’re so far out of the city, there’s nothing to do.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ve been keeping plenty busy,” Seungmin said knowingly, “but I am glad you got to see him.”

“Gross, Seungmin, those are our  _ dads _ ,” Jeongin said, making a face. He didn’t ever want to think about Chan and Jacob like that.

Seungmin laughed. “Well that’s what happens two people who are madly in love get stuck at home together with nothing to do,” he said. 

“Gross,” Jeongin whined. Once Seungmin unlocked the door to the apartment and they were safely inside, he didn’t waste any time making sure his present was fully hidden.

Seungmin giggled again. “Hi, dad, we’re home,” he called, making a beeline for his room so he could hide all his presents.

Jeongin was excited to give Seungmin his gift and was practically vibrating when the day finally arrived. He insisted on the two of them exchanging gifts in private, away from Seungmin’s dad.

Seungmin sat cross legged on his bed waiting patiently for his present. The younger boy had insisted on opening his presents first and Seungmin was so grateful he liked the deck of cards and the photography book. The book contained pictures of household items and other Muggle oddities and Seungmin couldn’t wait to explain them all to Jeongin. But now came the hardest part of Christmas: waiting.

“Okay, okay, open it,” Jeongin said, shoving the wrapped package into Seungmin’s hands. He was really excited for the boy to open his gift and he really hoped that he liked it.

Seungmin took the package with shaky hands. He unwrapped it slowly, not having a clue in the slightest of what to expect. 

Jeongin couldn’t resist. “They’re enchanted notebooks,” he blurted excitedly, “so you and your dad can write back and forth without having to worry about owls or the Muggle post!”

Seungmin’s mouth opened and closed a few minutes as he tried to figure out what to say. His fingers ghosted over the front of the first notebook before opening it. “Oh my God, Jeongin,” he said quietly, “these...these are perfect. Thank you so much.” He blinked his eyes quickly, willing away the tears that had gathered in the corners. No one had ever gotten him such a meaningful gift before and it meant a lot to him.

Jeongin hugged Seungmin tightly. “I’m glad you like them,” he said quietly, “I’m sorry it’s not much.”

Seungmin immediately returned Jeongin’s hug. “This was more than enough,” he assured, “thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Jeongin didn’t want to let go of Seungmin so he hugged him tighter, wide smile spreading across his face. 

“I’m so happy I could kiss you right now,” Seungmin mumbled. He stilled as soon as the words were out of his mouth. What had he done? He was going to scare Jeongin away for good now, even after how hard he had worked to gain the boy’s trust. 

“Y-You could?” Jeongin asked. He pulled away from the hug, staring at Seungmin with wide eyes.

Seungmin stared back at Jeongin. The boy didn’t seem terribly upset, but Seungmin wasn’t going to risk it. “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said quickly. He dropped his eyes to the mattress, kicking himself for being so careless. 

“You...like me?” Jeongin asked, completely bewildered. He hadn’t imagined in a million years that Seungmin ever would have liked him...back.

Seungmin kept his eyes glued to his feet. “Yeah,” he admitted in a small voice, “I, uh, I’ve liked you for a while now.” He had nothing to lose now so there was no point in lying to the younger boy. 

Jeongin didn’t know what to say. He stared at Seungmin absolutely gobsmacked. “Seungminnie…” he murmured.

“I’m so sorry,” Seungmin said, burying his face in his hands, “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship so I really tried to keep my feelings out of it, but it didn’t work.” He felt so embarrassed, he didn’t even know what to do with himself. 

“No, I…” Jeongin trailed off. He liked Seungmin a lot and the idea of kissing him didn’t seem nearly as gross as it had a few weeks ago. “Can you look at me? Please?”

Seungmin slowly uncovered his eyes and picked his head up. He stared at Jeongin with big eyes, already anticipating the worst. 

“Seungmin, I...I really like you too,” Jeongin finally admitted, “like... _ like  _ like.”

Seungmin stared at Jeongin for a moment, not registering what the boy said right away. “But I thought… You like me? How? Even after everything that happened?” he asked. His mind was reeling and he didn’t know what to think.

Jeongin nodded shyly. “What happened wasn’t your fault,” he said, “and I don’t think you realize how cute you are, Seungminnie.”

Seungmin squeaked and dropped his eyes back to the bed. He could feel his cheeks heating up and he knew he was blushing like crazy. No one had ever called him cute before, at least not like this. 

Jeongin bit his lip anxiously and reached out to take Seungmin’s hands in his own. “You were the first person outside of Slytherin House to treat me like a person, not a snake,” he said softly, “how could I avoid falling for you after that?”

Seungmin exhaled shakily and looked back up at Jeongin. His heart was hammering in his chest and he still couldn’t wrap his head around this. “You deserve to be treated with kindness just like everyone else. I wasn’t about to throw that aside just because of some things people liked to say,” he said quietly.

Jeongin looked at Seungmin for a moment, eyes tracking over his face, before leaning forward. He kissed Seungmin gently on the mouth, pulling away with his face beet red. 

It took Seungmin a moment to register what happened but when he did his face broke out into a huge grin. His lips were still tingling, even after Jeongin pulled away. This had turned out so much better than he originally thought.

Jeongin felt giddy. His first ever crush on a boy, and the boy actually liked him back! God, Jacob would never let him hear the end of this. Speaking of teasing though… “Will your dad be okay with this?” he asked quietly.

Seungmin nodded immediately. “Absolutely. He’s really supportive, especially about what makes me happy,” he assured, “but we don’t have to tell him anything you don’t want to.”

“Maybe not until we go back?” Jeongin said sheepishly, “I don’t want him to think we’re...doing things. Not that I don’t want to do those things! But just not yet, and definitely not with your dad around.”

“Relax, Innie, it’s okay. Whenever you’re ready,” Seungmin said soothingly. It suddenly dawned on him that they didn’t officially define anything. “Does...does this mean we’re together?” he asked quietly. 

“I’d hope so,” Jeongin said, “if that’s what you want. I don’t exactly kiss people casually.”

Seungmin nodded immediately. “It’s what I want,” he said. He reached out and took Jeongin’s hand in his own. 

Jeongin shyly threaded their fingers together and looked up at Seungmin. “Can I kiss you again?” he asked apprehensively. 

Seungmin smiled sheepishly and nodded. “You don’t have to ask,” he said softly. 

Jeongin leaned in and kissed Seungmin again. It was just as simple and chaste as before, but he stayed there a few moments longer.

Seungmin reveled in the feeling of Jeongin’s lips against his own. He felt a warmth radiate through his whole body. With a small giggle he pulled Jeongin back against him and hugged the boy tightly. 

Jeongin hugged Seungmin tightly, burying his face in the older boy’s neck. He couldn’t help the way a few tears sprang to his eyes, out of shock and out of joy. 

“This was the best Christmas ever,” Seungmin said happily. He definitely wasn’t looking forward to all of the teasing, but it would be worth it.

Jeongin nodded in agreement, not pulling away from his boyfriend just yet. He couldn’t believe that someone liked him, especially someone as innocent and kind as Seungmin. 

Seungmin rubbed his hand up and down Jeongin’s back. “If anyone bothers you, you send them to me, okay?” he said, trying to sound tough, “except Jacob hyung. He’s all yours to deal with.”

Jeongin laughed slightly as he pulled away, wiping at his eyes. “I promise, he’s really not scary,” he said.

“Now I’m just worried about the talk I’m gonna get,” Seungmin said nervously, “what if...what if he doesn’t approve?” Jacob knew Jeongin a lot better than he did, which meant the older boy would know what was best for him. 

“Trust me, he’ll approve,” Jeongin said, “he’s been teasing me about liking you for weeks. The one I’m worried about is Jisung.“

“I don’t care what Jisung thinks. If he doesn’t care about us enough to hang out with us, he doesn’t even deserve to know we’re together,” Seungmin said.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly intend to be subtle about this,” Jeongin said, “he’s going to find out somehow and he’s going to be pissed when he does.”

Seungmin’s eyes widened slightly. “Well he can be pissed at me and I’ll handle it. I’m not going to let him ruin our happiness because he has a stick up his ass,” he said. 

Jeongin knew that Jisung would never be angry at Seungmin. No, all of his anger would be directed at Jeongin himself. He wasn’t going to say that and ruin the moment though. “We’ll deal with it when it happens,” he said finally.

Seungmin nodded. “I won’t let Jisung do anything I promise,” he said, “but let’s not worry about him right now. We have much better things to focus on.”

“Yeah, like showing these notebooks to your dad,” Jeongin said, smiling. He couldn’t wait to see Mr. Kim’s reaction. 

“Let’s show him now,” Seungmin said excitedly. He grabbed the notebooks with one hand and Jeongin’s with the other. “Dad!” he called as they rushed out of his bedroom, “look at what Jeongin got me!” He was practically buzzing with excitement.

Jeongin hung back a little, watching as Seungmin explained how the notebooks worked to his dad. Hopefully, they would both be a bit more cheerful now that they could communicate easier.

Heechul took one of the notebooks in his hand and let his fingers run over the cover. “And I could use a regular pen with these?” he asked, looking up at Jeongin. Before the boy even answered, Seungmin hopped off the couch and booked it into his room to grab two pens.

“I should think so,” Jeongin said, “it might take a specific type of ink, I’m not sure, but yeah, a pen should work fine.”

“Let’s try it,” Seungmin said as he came back into the room. He sat down next to his dad and handed over a pen. Heechul took the pen and turned to the first page. In as neat of handwriting as he could manage, he wrote “I love you, Minnie” across the top line. As soon as his father lifted the pen from the page, Seungmin ripped open his own and smiled when he saw script identical to his father’s sitting at the top. “It worked,” he said happily.

“They won’t erase on their own but when you reach the end of the notebooks, if you don’t want to go get a new set, there’s a cleaning spell that will clear them out. You have to make sure you’re at the castle when you do it though, or you’ll get in trouble with the Ministry. Casting it on one will clean them both so you don’t have to worry about your dad’s,” Jeongin explained. He wished he could show them the spell now, but even on breaks they couldn’t use magic outside the castle, not until they were seventeen.

Heechul handed Seungmin his notebook so he could stand and hug Jeongin. “Thank you very much, Jeongin. This was very thoughtful of you,” he said sincerely. Seungmin held the notebooks tightly against himself and smiled happily. He had never seen his dad get so choked up over a present before.

“Seungmin told how hard it’s been for you two to communicate while he’s at school and I wouldn’t want you two to grow apart because of it,” Jeongin said quietly as he hugged Mr. Kim. 

Heechul smiled softly. “Yeah, it’s been hard, but it makes it a little easier knowing Minnie has friends like you at school,” he said, “I’m still not familiar with all of the things you guys learn and do, but I think this is something I could get used to quickly. Just have that cleaning spell ready because I’m sure I’ll be using this a lot.”

Jeongin smiled, a little sadly. He was really glad Seungmin and his dad liked the gift. In the back of his mind, though, he was unendingly jealous.

“Alright, you boys can go back to whatever you were doing,” Heechul said, patting Jeongin on the back and finally setting him free. He picked up the notebook and looked at it fondly. “Now I can keep better tabs on you two and make sure you are both keeping up with your studies.”

Jeongin watched as Seungmin rolled his eyes before pulling him back down the hall. “I’m really glad your dad likes it,” he said once they were alone again.

“Even with Yams he gets really lonely here,” Seungmin said, “it’ll be nice to make sure he’s doing okay too. Thank you so much, really.” 

“Of course,” Jeongin said, “you seem really close and it would really suck to see you lose your connection with him.”

“Thanks so much, Innie,” Seungmin said quietly, “you know he wasn’t joking about keeping tabs on you too. He wants to get to know about all of my friends so he's definitely gonna keep asking about you.”

“Oh, he doesn’t have to do that,” Jeongin said, scratching the back of his neck and looking down, “I appreciate it, but it isn’t necessary.”

“You could tell him that, but he won’t listen,” Seungmin said with a small chuckle, “once a dad always a dad. He means well though, I promise.”

“Does he know?” Jeongin asked quietly, looking up at Seungmin “about my…about my parents?”

Seungmin shook his head. “He knows that people usually only stay up at the castle during break when they don’t have families to go back to, so that’s why he hasn’t asked,” he said, “I didn’t want to tell him anything ‘cause it’s not for me to talk about. And you don’t have to tell him anything if you don’t want to, but he’d be willing to listen and be a support if you need it.”

Jeongin nodded slowly. He was glad that Seungmin’s dad didn’t know the specifics of his situation. If he did, he probably would’ve banned Seungmin from talking to him or seeing him at all.

“You can tell him as little or as much as you want,” Seungmin said, “he’ll never demand to know anything except how you’re doing and if you need anything.” 

“Your dad’s really great,” Jeongin said with a sigh, flipping back on Seungmin’s bed. The only other dad that he really had to compare him to was Jacob’s dad, who was significantly more serious and traditional than Seungmin’s dad. He just wished sometimes that he remembered anything about his own dad. 

“He does his best,” Seungmin said quietly. He climbed onto the bed and crawled up to lay next to Jeongin. He laid on his stomach and pillowed his head on his hands. 

Jeongin rolled onto his stomach and turned his head so he was looking at Seungmin. “I don’t know how young you were when your mom passed,” he said quietly, “but your dad has done a really great job with you on his own.”

Seungmin smiled sadly. “I was nine,” he said quietly, “but he really did his best. He put so much effort into making sure I was okay.” He trailed off thinking about how much his dad had sacrificed, including his own health, to make sure he was okay.

“Well, he did an amazing job,” Jeongin said. He leaned forward slightly and kissed Seungmin’s nose. 

Seungmin smiled softly. He scooted a little closer to Jeongin so that they were practically touching. “I’m just scared something’s gonna happen before I can properly thank him,” he said quietly. 

“I don’t think your dad would ever do anything to cut his time with you short,” Jeongin said reassuringly, “he seems really healthy to me. And even if something does happen, I’ll be right here to support you, okay?”

“Thanks, Innie,” Seungmin said quietly. He hesitantly reached over and wrapped an arm around the younger boy.

Jeongin snuggled closer to Seungmin, intent on making them both take a nap. They only had a few more days before they had to head back to Hogwarts and he wanted to take advantage of it to spend time with his boyfriend. 

“When Jackson first asked me to help with the thestrals, I was terrified,” Seungmin admitted, “I wanted nothing to do with it, but I had no one to talk to and no good reason to say no.” He paused and looked up at Jeongin with a small smile. “I’ve never been more grateful I agreed to something since I agreed to go to Hogwarts.”

“I’m glad you agreed to do it,” Jeongin said softly, “even if things were rough for a little while there.” He never would have talked to Seungmin otherwise. 

Seungmin’s small smile faltered. “I would do anything to go back and change everything. I should have never agreed to help Minho and I should have never hurt you like that,” he said sadly.

“I’ve told you a million times,” Jeongin said, “it wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you. I blame him and whatever’s going on with him.”

“Still,” Seungmin mumbled. He tightened his grip ever so slightly on Jeongin. “It won’t happen again. And if you want to fix what happened with Minho, I’ll support you entirely.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s up to me,” Jeongin said sadly, “he’s hiding from everyone. I have to wait for him to come to me.”

“Then I’ll wait with you,” Seungmin said. He muffled a yawn and snuggled closer. The excitement of the day was finally catching up to him. 

“Thanks,” Jeongin said quietly. He carded a hand through Seungmin’s hair before stifling a yawn and hunkering down for a nice, long nap.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! When I (Michelle) was splitting up the chapters to be posted I accidentally created two chapter 17s which led this one to be missed in the posting. So here it is for you all now! Sorry for the mix up and we hope everything isn't too confusing. The following 3 chapters are all reposts and are not changed in any way other than the number chapter they are. Hope you enjoy and look forward to a new chapter (in the right order) on Wednesday! Thanks for understanding!

Seungmin made the most of the rest of break and was actually a little bit sad to be heading back to school. He hugged his father tightly one more time before taking Jeongin’s hand in his own and climbing onto the train. It was a little bit easier to leave his dad at the station this time because he had the notebook. They walked through the train and finally found Hyunjin and Felix already in a compartment.

Jeongin was happy enough to sit in the compartment with Felix and Hyunjin, especially when Chan and Jacob joined them, dragging Changbin along with them. 

It was like a family reunion in the compartment and everyone was laughing and talking and trying to catch up after the three weeks of not seeing each other. Seungmin was happy to stay quiet as Jeongin talked with Jacob and their Ravenclaw friend and Hyunjin and Felix were fighting for Chan’s attention.

Jeongin snuck his hand into Seungmin’s, wondering idly if anyone would even notice. They all seemed pretty preoccupied. 

Seungmin held onto Jeongin’s hand. He looked around the carriage and smiled when he realized his friends were all but clueless. When he turned back around and noticed Jacob staring at them, he froze. 

Chan looked at Jacob when the older boy nudged his arm then glanced over at Seungmin and Jeongin, eyes narrowing in on their clasped hands. “Oh ho ho,” he said, “what do we have here?”

Seungmin felt his face heat up and he turned to hide in Jeongin’s neck. He tightened his grip on his boyfriend’s hand, just thinking about the word made him giddy, and hoped that that was enough for Chan. 

Hyunjin gasped loudly, pointing at Seungmin. “Since when?” he screeched. 

Seungmin jumped when Hyunjin suddenly shouted. He braved untucking his head and looking up at his friends. “Since a few days ago,” he said shyly. 

“Since Christmas,” Jeongin clarified, glancing at Seungmin a little nervously. 

“I’m glad you two had a good break,” Jacob said warmly. Seungmin turned and looked up at the older boy with wide eyes.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” Jeongin said with a happy smile. He had enjoyed having an actual Christmas for once.

Jacob smiled. He didn’t think he had ever seen Jeongin so happy since he had met the boy. He was incredibly grateful for Seungmin but he was definitely going to tease Jeongin about this later. 

Jeongin slumped down a bit, leaning his head against Seungmin’s shoulder. “How about you two?” He asked, “how did it go telling your parents?”

Jacob’s smile faltered slightly. “It went okay. They aren’t overly thrilled, but they’re also not mad,” he said, “I think they just need some time to get used to the idea.”

“I mean, that’s pretty much the best case scenario though, right?” Jeongin asked. 

Jacob nodded. “Yeah, definitely. I’d rather this than them being mad. I’m sure they’ll come around by graduation,” he said confidently. He took Chan’s hand in his own and squeezed gently. 

Chan smiled and squeezed back. “Now, have you two thought about how you’re going to handle it when Jisung finds out?” he asked. They all knew the boy wouldn't be too happy. 

“Not really,” Seungmin admitted, “I don’t care about him being mad at me. I’m just worried he’s going to do something to Jeongin.”

“I can handle myself, don’t worry about me,” Jeongin said, “as long he doesn’t say anything rude to you, I’ll be fine.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “I don’t think he’s stupid enough to actually do anything, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has some choice words to say to both of you,” he said. 

“Words mean nothing,” Jeongin said automatically, “I just don’t want him to be harassing Seungmin about this. He can take his problems with me up with me.”

Jacob smiled, not at all surprised Jeongin was already this protective of Seungmin. “I think it’d be best if I tell him and explain everything and then it can be up to him whether or not to accept it,” Seungmin said, “I just think he needs to hear everything coming from me and maybe he’ll understand better and start to come around.”

Jeongin sighed. He didn’t like the idea of that at all, but if that was what Seungmin wanted to do, he couldn’t stop him. 

“It’s alright, Innie,” Seungmin said soothingly, “this could be what finally gets Jisung to warm up to you.” He just wanted his friend back and he hoped this would help.

“I just hate it when he’s mean to you,” Jeongin mumbled, “you don’t deserve that.”

Seungmin smiled sadly. “You’re so cute when you’re worried,” he said quietly, “if he’s mean to me then he’s all yours to do what you will with.”

“That would just confirm what he thinks about me,” Jeongin replied. He didn’t need Jisung to have a worse opinion than he already did. 

“Then I’ll handle him myself,” Seungmin assured, “I’m not gonna let him walk all over me, I promise.” He squeezed Jeongin’s hand in reassurance. 

“You better not,” Jeongin mumbled, “I’ll get mad if you do.”

Seungmin pouted. “I won’t,” he said firmly, “I don’t want you to be mad at me too.”

“Not mad at you,” Jeongin said hurriedly, “he claims to be your friend then treats you like that? Nuh uh.”

Seungmin’s pout was replaced by a sad smile. “I just think he’s got a lot going on and he’s lashing out. That’s why I want to talk to him because maybe he’ll tell me what’s actually going on,” he said. 

“Sometimes people are just jerks,” Jeongin said sadly, “and I’m not saying that Jisung’s just a jerk, but he did spend a lot of time hanging around and looking up to his captain.”

“Yeah, I think his team influenced him a lot,” Seungmin said, “hopefully we can fix it though.” He knew at least Felix and Chan felt the same way he did and hopefully Hyunjin did as well. 

“I mean, if Kiyong and Yuto managed to snap out of it, I’m sure Jisung is the same,” Hyunjin offered hopefully. “Maybe we can even ask them to help us talk to him.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Seungmin said nervously. He wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of talking to the Gryffindors, but if it would help them get Jisung back then it would be worth it. 

“I’ve actually been talking to Kiyong a bit lately,” Hyunjin admitted, “he approached me before the break to apologize again. He’s really nice when he’s not being manipulated into bullying me.”

“Would you ask him to talk to Jisung?” Seungmin asked, “I want to talk to him first but if he won’t listen to me, maybe he’ll listen to Kiyong.”

“If he doesn’t listen to you, then I’ll ask Kiyong,” Hyunjin agreed with a nod.

“Thanks, Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin said. The conversation left Jisung after that and they talked happily amongst themselves all the way until they got back to Hogwarts. 

Jeongin was a little sad to have to separate from Seungmin once they got back to their dorms. They ducked into an alcove near the Hufflepuff common room for a moment of privacy before parting ways. “I’ll come sit with you at breakfast tomorrow, okay?” Jeongin said.

“Okay! I’ll see you in the morning,” Seungmin said happily. He paused for a moment, eyes roaming over Jeongin’s face, not quite wanting to leave yet. Channeling all of the courage he had, he slowly leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to Jeongin’s lips. 

Jeongin smiled brightly when Seungmin kissed him. He practically skipped back down to the Slytherin common room and collapsed onto his bed with a happy sigh.

Seungmin smiled and headed back to his own common room. He was not looking forward to being bombarded by his friends, but he knew it was inevitable. 

“Seungminnie’s got a boyfriend,” Hyunjin teased as soon as the younger boy was back in the fourth year room. 

“And? What about it?” Seungmin shot back. He slowly began the long and dull process of unpacking all of his things that he had taken home with him, careful to put his new notebook out of harm's way in his trunk. 

“It’s cute!” Hyunjin said, “I never thought you’d be the first out of the three of us to start dating. You’re so shy, Minnie.”

Seungmin pouted. “Yeah, I’m surprised too,” he admitted, “but Jeongin and I we’re basically set up. If Jackson never had me help with the thestrals, I’d still be single.”

“Jeongin’s cute,” Felix said, “I’m happy for you two. And I definitely prefer you two over Jisung right now.”

Seungmin smiled sadly. “We’ll get him to come around. I know he misses us too and as stubborn as he is, as long as we show him we’re supportive then I bet he’ll be back in no time,” he said, “I think everything hit him harder than we think and he’s just extremely defensive right now.”

“We had a bit of an argument over break,” Felix admitted, wrapping himself around a pillow and pouting, “I accidentally told him I like him and he got really upset about it.”

“Oh, Lix, I’m so sorry,” Seungmin said. He put his extra robes down and turned his full attention to Felix. “Do you wanna tell me what he said so I can ask when I talk to him?” he asked carefully.

“I don’t think he’s, like, mad,” Felix said doubtfully, “he wasn’t mean about anything. I think he was weirded out more than anything. He kept saying that he doesn’t like boys and that I can’t like him and stuff like that.”

Seungmin pouted. “I would’ve thought Jisung would be more understanding, but I guess not,” he said sadly, “I really am sorry, Lixie. Do you need me to do anything?”

“I think it was just weird for him,” Felix said with a shrug, “he’s all supportive of Chan and Jacob, and of you two dating any guys, and me too, as long as the guy isn’t him. And I guess I get it. It would freak me out if Hyunjin suddenly confessed to me.”

Seungmin hummed in understanding. He still wanted to say something to Jisung, but he wasn’t going to push it any further. 

“It’s fine,” Felix said with a shrug, “I’ll just wait for him to get over it. I guess it’s better for me, too, that I don’t have to be around him while I try to get over him.”

Seungmin sighed sadly. “We’re here for whatever you need, Lixie,” he promised. He turned back to his side of the room and finished unpacking his last few belongings. 

“Thanks, Minnie,” Felix said with a sigh, “I’m gonna go talk to Chan for a bit, alright?” He needed some Aussie quality time.

“Alrighty. We’ll be here,” Seungmin said. He grabbed a book and flopped onto his own bed.

Jisung wasn’t sure what he was seeing. Sure, he knew that Seungmin was still friends with Jeongin, but to be letting the snake hang all over him like that? Jisung needed to say something. He was about to march up to the table when he saw the boys turn toward each other and exchange a small kiss. With a gasp, he stomped over and grabbed Jeongin’s arm, yanking him back. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked, fuming.

“Hey, let go of him!” Seungmin said, standing up from the table, “last I checked there weren’t any rules against kissing your boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? Oh, Seungmin, no way,” Jisung said, snorting derisively, “what’s he threatening you with? I’ll beat him up for you.”

Seungmin did his best to stay calm. “He’s not threatening me. And believe it or not, I’m happy with him and I’m not gonna let your opinions change that. Jeongin has been nothing but kind to me and he’s treating me better than you have been lately,” he said. 

Jisung had to laugh at that. “You really believe he likes you?” he asked incredulously, “he’s a snake! He’s just playing with you!”

“Alright, that’s it. We’re going to talk where there’s less people around,” Seungmin said. He grabbed Jisung’s arm and dragged him out of the Great Hall and into the first empty classroom he could find. “What is your problem with me being happy?” he asked. 

“He’s going to hurt you, Minnie, why can’t you see that?” Jisung said, “people like him can’t feel love, Seungmin. He’s pulling you around, making you fall for him, and then he’s gonna drop you like a Dungbomb!”

“The only person that’s been hurting me is you,” Seungmin said sadly, “this is the choice I made and rather than being supportive you keep trying to convince me I’m wrong and I’m going to get hurt. You don’t even know  _ half  _ of Jeongin’s story and you still claim to know better than me. I’m not asking you to become friends with him or even like him, but I am asking you to respect the decision I made,” Seungmin said, “don’t let what those boys brainwashed you with cloud your thinking anymore. You’re better than this, Sung, I know you are.”

“I don’t need to know his story,” Jisung spat out, “do you even know what his family has done? What his parents did? You don’t come from a family like that and become a good person! Yang Jeongin will never, ever be a good person, Seungmin, and I just wish you could see that.”

“I do know what his family has done and more importantly I know what his parents did to protect him from that. But you don’t know that because you won’t take the time of day to even get to know the kid,” Seungmin said, “he’s so gentle and kind and I missed when you used to be like that. I wish you could see what Jeongin is actually like, but you’re too thickheaded.”

“I don’t even know who you are anymore,” Jisung huffed, “you need to be careful, Seungmin. I don’t want to watch him hurt you.”

“I don’t know who  _ you  _ are anymore,” Seungmin countered, “you used to be so helpful to all of us. You’d listen to us and you’d do anything we needed without blinking an eye, but now instead of supporting me, all you want to do is fight me. What’s going on, Jisung? You’re not the same person I met when I first came here.”

“I can’t just standby and watch you let yourself get hurt,” Jisung said, “I can’t let you do that to yourself, Minnie! You’re going to end up getting hurt because of him and I never want you to go through something like that.”

“Sung, I’ve spent the entire semester getting to know Jeongin. He came home with me for break. He understands me and listens when no one else will,” Seungmin explained, “I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Why do you insist on tearing that down? I know that we were raised differently and that you understand the dangers of Death Eaters better than I do, but from what I’ve learned in class, Jeongin is a far cry from one.”

“I’ve lost family to his!” Jisung said, voice dropping as he added, “I can’t lose you too.”

“Oh, Sung,” Seungmin said sadly. He stepped forward and wrapped his friend in a hug. “You won’t lose me. And staying away from all of us is gonna make it that much harder to protect us.”

“I can’t,” Jisung said, “I can’t be around Felix right now. He probably hates me. I was so mean to him when he confessed to me, Min.”

Seungmin was a little surprised that Jisung wasn’t angry with Felix like he had originally thought. “He’s more sad than anything. He’ll be okay soon. He just needs some time to process everything that happened,” Seungmin said, “he’s been spending a lot of time with Chan lately, but I’m sure he’d really appreciate an apology if you feel that bad about what happened.”

“He just really surprised me and I didn’t know how to react, so I freaked out,” Jisung said with a pout, “I don’t mind that he likes me. I just...don’t like him back. But Minnie, I really don’t get it. How can you trust Jeongin so easily?”

Seungmin pulled back so he could look at Jisung properly. “I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. If he acted like the mean, devilish person you had always described I would have avoided him. But he was kind to me since the very first day I met him. Just like you were. I trusted him the same way I learned to trust you and Jinnie and Lix,” he said, “of the two of us, it was me that hurt him.”

“You hurt him?” Jisung asked, “no, Minnie, you could never hurt a fly! I bet...I bet he’s just making you think you hurt him. Gaslighting, like Yugyeom did to Hyunjin.”

Seungmin looked at Jisung with sad eyes and shook his head. “Another Slytherin coerced me into lying to Jeongin for him. And I went along with it,” he admitted quietly, “I thought I lost him forever, but once he learned what actually happened he forgave me so easily.”

“You didn’t hurt him on purpose then!” Jisung said insistently, “you said yourself that you were coerced into it. Seungminnie, you can be honest with me. Are you with him because you feel guilty?”

“No, I’m with him because we get along really well and I can talk to him about anything and he’ll listen to me,” Seungmin said, “yeah, I still feel guilty, but that’s not why I like him.”

Jisung sighed. “I really can’t talk you out of it, can I?” he asked sadly, “I guess I’ll back off. If he hurts you, though, I’m not responsible for my actions.”

“It’s not your job to talk me out of it,” Seungmin said gently, “your job as a friend is to be supportive. Which, speaking of, I think you need to have a conversation with Felix. He deserves to hear that apology even if you don’t hang out with us again for a little while.”

“I know,” Jisung said with another heavy sigh, “I just...I don’t want it to be awkward. I’m bad with these kinds of conversations. And I don’t want to hurt him, but I know I have to.”

“Give it a little bit for emotions to calm down and to get your thoughts together. And when you’re ready, you come find us,” Seungmin said, “we all miss you a lot, Sung.”

“You guys aren’t mad at me?” Jisung asked nervously, “even though I’ve been a bit of a jerk?”

Seungmin shook his head. “I’ve just been sad. I know everything that happened with your knee has been really hard on you, and I wished you came to us for support rather than trying to do everything on your own,” he said. 

“I don’t like being dependent on people,” Jisung said, “I want to be able to do things on my own, and I’m really sorry I hurt you guys trying to do that.”

“It’s okay, Sung,” Seungmin said gently, “you don’t have to rely on us if you don’t want to, but you don’t have to do everything alone. Even if you just need someone to lay down with in silence for ten minutes. That’s what we’re here for. We’ve just been so worried about you and we’ve wanted to help.”

“I want to apologize to everyone,” Jisung said, “not Jeongin - not yet, I still don’t trust him - but Felix and Hyunjin and Chan.”

“That’s fine. You don’t have to trust Innie just for me, but please lighten up on him a little,” Seungmin requested, “and everyone will be really happy to see you and I know they’ll appreciate the apology.”

“I should trust  _ you _ more,” Jisung said, “I forget sometimes how smart you are. Just because you didn’t have a Wizarding upbringing doesn’t mean that you don’t know our history. If you trust Jeongin, I should be able to also. I’ll get there, Minnie, just...not yet.”

“You don’t have to rush it, Sung. You have a personal tie to this that I’ll never understand and I’ll never ask you to push all of that aside completely,” Seungmin said gently, “and if you can’t trust him that’s fine. I just don’t want you to bother him unless he actually does something to hurt someone.”

“I’ll get there,” Jisung said again, “I know...I know he’s not a bad person, that he’s not like his parents, but it’s just been drilled into my head for so long, from my parents and my team and everyone, that all of the Yangs are evil. It’s hard to fight that belief.”

Seungmin hugged Jisung tightly. “Thank you for trusting me. I know it’s really hard right now,” he said quietly, “and are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,”Jisung said, “I’ll be able to take the cast off next week and then I’ll hopefully be a bit more independent. I just want to walk without crutches again.”

“I can imagine,” Seungmin said sympathetically, “but now you won’t have a good excuse not to come downstairs to see us.”

“We’ll see,” Jisung said quietly. It would probably be a few more weeks before he did that. He wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t cause any more problems by showing up first.

“Just know you can always come talk to me okay? Even if you’re mad at me,” Seungmin said, “I’d rather you come yell and scream at me and then we can work it out rather than trying to do everything on your own.”

Jisung sighed and nodded, hugging Seungmin again. “We’re gonna be late for class,” he mumbled. 

“My friends are more important than class,” Seungmin said, “but you’re right, we should probably get going.” He let go of Jisung and let them out of the classroom and into the hallway.

Jeongin was waiting in the hallway outside of the classroom Seungmin and Jisung had disappeared into, pacing back and forth as he waited for them to exit the room. “Is everything okay?” he asked, rushing over to Seungmin. 

“Everything’s fine,” Seungmin said soothingly, “come on. We gotta get to class.” He took Jeongin’s hand in his own and fell into step next to Jisung. 

Jeongin glanced at Jisung warily, not wanting to have another argument. Fortunately, nothing happened and he was able to drop his boyfriend off at class with a kiss before sprinting off to his own class 

Seungmin bid one last goodbye to Jisung before heading to this class. Everything was off to a good start and he hoped that meant the rest of the year would go better than how it started. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is familiar with this series this chapter is a repost.

Hyunjin had been nervous when Jacob had dragged Changbin in to sit with them on the train and hadn’t been able to bring himself to say anything to him. The next morning, when they were all leaving breakfast, he managed to catch the older boy and pull him aside. “I’m sorry,” he said, “for ignoring you on the train.”

Changbin wasn’t expecting to be pulled aside by Hyunjin, let alone hear an apology from the younger boy. “You don’t have to apologize,” he assured, “I know you were excited to catch up with your friends.”

“I just didn’t know what to say,” Hyunjin said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t want you to think I was mad or something.”

Changbin smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’re not mad,” he said. It was sweet how worried Hyunjin was about the train ride.

Hyunjin bit his lip. He didn’t know why; he just had the need to continue talking to Changbin. “I guess I probably can’t convince you to skip class with me, huh?” he said.

Changbin’s eyes widened slightly. “It depends on the reason,” he said, “is everything okay?” He had never skipped class for anyone before, but he was willing to make an exception for Hyunjin. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, “I just don’t want to go. I’m going to fail the exams anyway so what’s the point?” The sooner he could drop Arithmancy, the better. He didn’t understand any of it, no matter how many times Seungmin tried to explain it to him.

Changbin smiled sympathetically. “I don’t think you’re going to fail your exams,” he said supportively, “but if you want some help with anything, I don’t mind.”

“I don’t know if it’s that Arithmancy’s hard or I’m just stupid,” Hyunjin said, shaking his head, “I don’t know how Seungmin convinced me to sign up for it. All his whining about us purebloods never knowing how to do math or something.”

Changbin chuckled quietly. “I don’t think it’s either. It doesn’t sound like you care about it, which I don’t blame you. It’s boring,” he said, “there’s gotta be a different class you enjoy going to.”

“Not any of the smart or relevant ones,” Hyunjin said, “I guess Defense is kind of cool, but so much of it is about hurting people.”

“If it’s something you enjoy then it’s relevant,” Changbin said, “come on, what’s your favorite class?”

“No, really, it’s dumb,” Hyunjin said sadly, “it’s not like you can get a job with it or anything.”

“If you don’t want to tell me it’s okay,” Changbin said gently, “but you’re allowed to enjoy things even if they won’t lead to a career. And you might be surprised what’s actually out there.”

“You’re just so smart,” Hyunjin said, “it’s embarrassing. I look so dumb next to you.”

“Just because I’m in Ravenclaw doesn’t mean I’m smart,” Changbin said, “and I’m not good at everything. I just spend all of my time on school work so I do well.”

“What? No, Binnie, you’re so smart!” Hyunjin said, gasping like the statement had offended him. “You’re way better than me.”

Changbin chuckled quietly. “Even if I do get better grades then you, that doesn’t mean I’m getting the most out of Hogwarts. You’re successful on the Quidditch pitch. I can’t even look at a broom without something going wrong. And you have a whole group of friends who love and support you,” he said a little enviously, “being good at school isn’t the end all be all.”

“I’m not good enough at Quidditch to make a career out of it though,” Hyunjin said, dropping his head. “All I have is my looks. Everything else about me is just...mediocre at best.” It was the one thing Yugyeom had said to him that was ever actually true. 

“Not everything you do has to get you a career,” Changbin said gently, “I’ve never really seen you with your friends before that train ride, but even in that short amount of time I could tell you have a big heart. You care a lot about them and there’s not a lot of people that would be willing to do as much for their friends as you do.”

“Being friendly doesn’t get you anywhere in life,” Hyunjin said, “I’m just gonna be dumb and pretty for the rest of my life. Might as well go blonde too, really round out the stereotype.”

Changbin sighed sadly. “You can’t believe what they say. And I know that’s nearly impossible, but you have to fight for yourself when no one else will. You have to do everything you can to prove them wrong. Go be the person you’re proud of because even after they’re gone, you can still be happy with yourself,” he said. It hurt to see Hyunjin going through this, he knew the struggle all too well.

Hyunjin sighed heavily. “I’m tired of fighting for myself,” he said, “I’m tired of having to prove everyone wrong all the time. It  _ sucks _ .”

“You gotta find someone to lean on. Someone you can trust to hold you up when you can’t hold yourself up. It’s easier if they know what you’re going through, but it’s hard to find trustworthy people out there,” Changbin said quietly.

“I hate my mom sometimes,” Hyunjin confessed, “or, at least, I hate that she decided to have kids with a wizard. If I was full veela, I’d never have even come to Hogwarts in the first place and none of this would have happened.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Changbin said. He gently guided Hyunjin down the hallway so they could go somewhere quiet to talk. “Parents don’t know what their kids are going to suffer through until it’s too late.”

Hyunjin sighed as he sat on a bench. “I just don’t understand why my heritage seems to make me less deserving of respect,” he mumbled, “all people care about is that I’m a half-breed, like that makes me only have half a brain or something.”

“People don’t like what they don’t understand. And they won’t take the time to try to understand,” Changbin said sadly as he took a seat next to Hyunjin, “they don’t understand that it’s your personality and kind heartedness that determines your worth, not your heritage.”

“My favorite class is Care of Magical Creatures,” Hyunjin said quietly, “any time anyone finds out, they think it’s because I’m, like, primitive and that my brain can’t handle any more information than being with the animals. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“I’m glad you did,” Changbin said quietly, “if I’m being honest that’s one of my worst subjects so it’s nice to know someone else who is actually good at it if I have questions. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think what other people say has any merit.”

“It does though,” Hyunjin said, “interviews and recommendations. Jobs are so dependent on how much people like you just as much as they are on your test scores. Any job that’s in the Magical Creature field usually requires Transfiguration, Charms, sometimes even Potions. I’m not good at those and people know that.”

“I can help you with Transfiguration,” Changbin offered slowly, “it’s one of my best subjects and I actually enjoy it a lot. If not I know a really nice Hufflepuff that I bet would be willing to help you too.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Hyunjin said, “there’s no way I’m going to do anything more than scrape through this year anyway. It’s fine.”

“But I want to,” Changbin said, “if Care of Magical Creatures is what you love and something you want to do, I want to help you with the stuff that’s harder for you to understand. You deserve to be happy, and if I can help I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

“Can we trade?” Hyunjin suggested, “I’ll help you with Care and you help me with Transfiguration. I would feel bad if you were just helping me and not getting anything out of it.”

“Friends don’t do things because they want something in return, they do it because they want to help,” Changbin said, “but I will take you up on your offer because I am nearly hopeless in Care and have no idea how I am still passing.”

“Because you’re crazy smart,” Hyunjin said, “you give even Seungmin and Jacob a run for their money.”

Changbin’s eyes widened slightly. “I wouldn’t go that far. Jacob’s got two years on me and Seungmin is a naturally bright kid,” he said.

“And you’re just as smart as both of them,” Hyunjin said, “you’re so brilliant, Binnie, you have no idea.”

“No, Hyunjin,  _ you  _ have no idea,” Changbin said gently, “I’m not naturally smart like Seungmin. If I didn’t spend day in and day out in that library I wouldn’t have even made it out of first year, which is fine. I don’t even mind spending all of my time studying. It keeps me busy.”

“You’re in Ravenclaw though,” Hyunjin said uncertainly, “that’s the whole thing. Natural intelligence. You’re just...wildly underestimating yourself.”

“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t in Ravenclaw,” Changbin said quietly, “the pressure to be the best in the class is always so high and if you slip for even a second people begin to doubt you. And it’s even worse when people doubt you before you even have a chance to prove yourself.” He bit his lip. He was starting to share too much and he had to get the conversation back on track. 

“But you got Sorted into Ravenclaw,” Hyunjin said, “that’s proof enough that you’re top of the pack, isn’t it?”

“It was my wish. I always wanted to be able to say that I’m a successful wizard and being in Ravenclaw pushed me to make that happen. Sure there’s some things I am good at, but I have to work for most of it,” Changbin said, “but this stuff is all so boring.”

“You’re going to be successful, no matter what you do,” Hyunjin said, “I just know it, okay? You’re amazing!”

Changbin felt his face start to heat up. “It’s okay, Hyunjin. You barely even know me. I really do appreciate the support, but don’t get your hopes up,” he said.

“I don’t have to know you to know that you’re brilliant,” Hyunjin said, “anyone can see how hard you work and how much you know.”

“None of them do,” Changbin mumbled to himself. He stood up off the bench and reached out to Hyunjin. “Come on, let me walk you to your next class.”

“I don’t wanna go to class,” Hyunjin whined, more because he wanted to spend time with Changbin than because he didn’t like Defense.

“Fine, but let’s at least go back to my room where it’s more comfortable,” Changbin said. He helped Hyunjin off the bench and led the way to Ravenclaw tower.

Hyunjin stuck close to Changbin. He was so confused by the riddle that the knocker asked them, but Changbin answered it right away and they were soon sequestered in the older boy’s room.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Changbin said, gesturing to his bed, “my roommates are never around so you don’t have to worry about them.”

“It’s so pretty in here,” Hyunjin said. The Ravenclaw common room was absolutely stunning and Changbin’s dorm room was no different.

Changbin smiled fondly. “Yeah, it’s really nice. It makes it worth it to spend so much time in here,” he said. He took a seat at his desk and began pulling textbooks he needed out of his drawers. 

“You really never stop studying, do you?” Hyunjin asked. He felt lazy watching Changbin hunker down, so he pulled out his Defense textbook to try and read up on what he was missing.

“I can’t afford to,” Changbin said with a shrug. He looked over at Hyunjin and frowned when he saw the younger boy trying to read his own homework. He pulled out his own wand and with a quiet “accio textbook” watched Hyunjin’s textbook sail across the room to him. “Don’t worry about this right now.”

“Hey!” Hyunjin squeaked, “If you’re doing homework, then so am I!”

“Nope. You’re gonna take a break today and not worry about school for a minute,” Changbin said. He put Hyunjin’s book in his desk drawer and locked it. 

“I can do the same thing!” Hyunjin sat up and summoned Changbin’s book, which he shoved in his bag and charmed shut. “If I don’t get to study, neither do you.”

Changbin frowned and crossed his arms. “And what exactly do you propose we do instead?” he asked. 

“We can talk,” Hyunjin said, “I feel like I barely know you, even though we see each other all the time and all of our friends are friends.”

Changbin hummed and turned to face Hyunjin. “There’s not really much to know about me,” he said, “Jacob all but adopted me so sometimes I consider myself an honorary Slytherin.”

“He seems to have a habit of doing that,” Hyunjin said, “but you know so much about my family and stuff, and I know nothing about yours.”

Changbin paused. “You know nothing? Not a thing? From anyone?” he asked, “sorry, I’m just surprised with how you haven’t heard anything with how fast word travels around this school.” Even though Hyunjin was in a very similar situation to him, he was still hesitant to share the truth about his family.

“I try not to listen to rumors about anyone,” Hyunjin said, “between people being distracted by Jeongin and my own life being overruled by Yugyeom, I barely know anything about anyone.”

“Sometimes it’s better not to know,” Changbin said, “it makes you less biased towards people. I’m sure if you had the chance to guarantee no one knew your heritage, you would take it.”

“It wouldn’t really change anything for me,” Hyunjin said with a shrug, “I would still get harassed and sexualized and propositioned, but it would be considered normal instead of a curse.”

Changbin sighed sadly. Every conversation he had with people seemed to take a turn he didn’t want. He turned back to his desk to unlock it and retrieve Hyunjin’s book.

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Hyunjin said quietly, “I don’t want your deep secrets anyway. Just...what are your parents like? Do you have any siblings? That kind of thing. I’m not gonna judge you for anything, Bin.”

Changbin set Hyunjin’s book on the desk and turned back towards the younger boy. “My parents are nice. They just want to see me do well, so I try my best to make them proud,” he said, “and I have an older brother who graduated a couple years ago.”

“Oh, would I know him?” Hyunjin asked, tilting his head. Changbin’s last name had seemed familiar, but he hadn’t been able to figure out why.

“Maybe. His name is Johnny. I know he tried to be friends with as many people as possible and always helped the younger kids out,” Changbin said. 

“Oh my god, he used to be our prefect!” Hyunjin said, “I couldn’t figure out why your name was so familiar but that would do it. Your brother’s really nice.”

“Yeah, he’s really cool. And he loves everybody,” Changbin said, “he always used to tell me how much he loved being prefect and how I should go for it, but that wasn’t really for me.”

“He was the one that convinced me to try out for Quidditch,” Hyunjin said, “what’s he up to now?”

“Uh, I’m not really sure. I don’t really talk to him that much, but last I knew he was moving in with his boyfriend,” Changbin said. 

“That’s cute,” Hyunjin said, “I’m happy for them then. What about you? Is there a boyfriend anywhere? Or a girlfriend, I guess. People can be straight.”

“Oh no, nothing like that,” Changbin said quickly. He turned his head down and cleared his throat. “I don’t really have time for a boyfriend anyway so it’s okay.”

Hyunjin didn’t really know what to say to that. “I don’t have anyone either,” he offered, “after everything, I don’t think I’ll want to try dating for a really long time.”

Changbin nodded. “I understand that. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to trust someone like that,” he said quietly, “it’s good that your friends are all really supportive though.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said with a happy sigh, “they’re really great. Jisung’s being a dick right now, but he’s usually great too, most of the time.”

“What happened?” Changbin asked curiously. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be nosy,” he added quickly. 

“He’s just being an ass about Seungmin and Jeongin,” Hyunjin said, “he believes all the rumors about Jeongin and won’t listen to any of us when we tell him he’s wrong.”

“Oh that’s a shame,” Changbin said quietly, “Jeongin’s such a sweet kid. If you give him even a little bit of time that kid’ll do anything you need. He’s really supportive if you give him the chance to be.”

“Oh, I can tell,” Hyunjin said, “he’s so sweet to Seungmin it’s unreal. I was a bit of a jerk to him too, but at least I can tell I was wrong.”

Changbin sat up a little straighter. “It’s hard not to get sucked in by the rumors, but it’s insane to see how widely inaccurate they are. I wish he never had to deal with any of that. He would have absolutely thrived.”

“I don’t even know how they came to be,” Hyunjin said, “maybe it’s just people trying to make themselves look good and anti-Death Eater, but he’s as much a victim as anyone else. It really sucks that Jisung acts like he’s an expert on what happened when he wasn’t even six when it happened.

Changbin nodded. “Everyone likes to spread shit to get the bad attention off themselves,” he said sadly, “but knock on wood everything’s been quieter lately so hopefully it stays like that.”

“Jeongin deserves to be able to relax,” Hyunjin agreed. He felt bad that he had judged the younger boy so harshly.

“He’s been a lot happier since he started hanging out with you guys,” Changbin said, “it’s been really good for him to meet new people.”

“That’s good,” Hyunjin said, “that makes me really happy.”

Changbin smiled softly. “Thanks for taking him in. I know it’s hard with everything that happened, but I really appreciate it. He hasn’t really had a solid friend group before and he needs more people like you in his life,” he said. 

“It’s really because of Seungmin,” Hyunjin said, “if he hadn’t done the thestrals thing with Jeongin and started bringing him to chess night, I don’t think we would have ever talked to him on our own.”

“Ah yes, Innie’s new boyfriend,” Changbin said, “he seems like a really good kid. But all you Hufflepuffs usually are.”

“Seungminnie’s so sweet,” Hyunjin said, “he would hate himself if he ever hurt anyone, especially someone like Jeongin. They have a lot to relate on too.”

“Not a lot of people understand what Jeongin’s gone through so it’s nice that he found someone,” Changbin said, “especially someone like Seungmin, he really needed that.” He tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice, but it was hard. That was both of his friends that had boyfriends now. At least he still had his textbooks.

“Seungmin didn’t even tell us about his mom,” Hyunjin said quietly, “not until Jeongin convinced him to. He’s seemed a lot happier since he told us though.”

“I’m glad he’s opened up to you more,” Changbin said, “it’s good that you guys are all getting closer, but I’m warning you now I might steal Jeongin back every once in a while.”

“Go for it,” Hyunjin said, “now that he’s opened up, he’s actually a pretty weird kid. I might need you to take him back for my own sanity soon.” 

Changbin chuckled at that. “Yeah, he’s definitely the weirdest kid I ever met. I’m surprised Jacob hyung didn’t warn you guys, but it’s fun to experience on your own,” he said, “he means well though, he just doesn’t know how to show it sometimes.”

“Some things he says, I’m confused how he comes up with them,” Hyunjin said, shaking his head.

“He just says whatever’s on his mind and sometimes it’s coherent and sometimes it’s not, but you get to hear it anyway,” Changbin said fondly, “sometimes I wish I started a notebook of the weird stuff he says.”

“He threatened to eat my ribs when I actually beat him at chess once,” Hyunjin said, “if I didn’t know him, I would’ve probably believed him.”

Changbin made a face. “That sounds like something he would say,” he said, “but yeah, he’s absolutely harmless. He’ll threaten you all day, but he won’t actually do anything. Although I’m not sure if that would change for Seungmin.”

“I don’t know if you saw them earlier when Jisung found out about them,” Hyunjin said, “I think Jeongin was seconds away from cursing him.”

“Wow, I’d believe it,” Changbin said, “he’d do absolutely anything for the people he cares about. This Jisung of yours must be a real troublemaker if he made Jeongin that angry.”

“He pretty much implied that Jeongin was only with Seungmin to hurt him and that he would never actually like Seungmin which is insulting to them both,” Hyunjin explained, “it was rough.”

Changbin’s face slipped into a frown. “Jeongin would never do anything like that,” he said, “you better get a handle on your friend quickly before I say something. I understand that what happens with Seungmin is none of my business, but as far as Jeongin is concerned, he’s like a younger brother to me.”

“Oh, Seungmin dragged him into a classroom and really laid into him,” Hyunjin said, “even if Jisung still isn’t okay with Jeongin, I don’t he’ll be saying anything any time soon.”

Changbin nodded in approval. “Good,” he said, “that’s nice to know that Seungmin is willing to stick up for Innie.”

“Seungmin doesn’t do things halfway,” Hyunjin said, “he may be anxious and scared of conflict, but he doesn’t let anyone mess with his people.”

“That sounds exactly like Chan,” Changbin said, “I know you know him a lot better than I do, but from what I’ve heard from Jacob he’s the same way.”

“Oh yeah, the both of them are almost insufferable when they think any of their friends are struggling with something. Seungminnie’s the one that really jump started everything that got Yugyeom expelled, by asking Jeongin to talk to Jacob,” Hyunjin explained.

“Not a lot of Hufflepuffs are willing to do something like that,” Changbin said, “keep them close. They sound like really good friends and I’d hate to see you ever lose them.”

“Hey, we can be brave,” Hyunjin said with a pout, “especially when someone’s hurting our family. I’m the one that told Jacob about Minho bullying Seungmin.”

Changbin sighed sadly. “I, uh, I’m really sorry about Minho. I know an apology means nothing coming from me, but everything that’s been happening with him is really out of character for him. We have no idea what’s going on, but thank you for standing up to him,” he said. 

“Oh, I didn’t really do anything,” Hyunjin said, “I just got Minnie to tell me what was going on and told it all to Jacob and Chan. Minho was threatening him a lot; he wouldn’t talk to us for weeks.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Changbin admitted quietly, “I know it’s hard to believe, but Minho was such a sweet person. He looked out for everyone first and was one of the few people that actually gave a shit about me. It’s just so hard to hear how he completely changed so quickly.”

“Whatever happened at the first Quidditch game must have triggered some sort of mental break or something,” Hyunjin said. He had been playing at the time and hadn’t actually seen Minho’s attempt to hurt Jisung, so everything he knew about it was hearsay.

“He was angry about how Jisung was treating Jeongin and he’s even more protective of Innie than Jacob hyung is. But for him to attack Jisung like he did and then bully Seungmin? It just doesn’t add up,” Changbin said sadly, “he won’t talk to anyone so it’s not like we can get him help. And the professors won’t get involved if he isn’t hurting anyone.”

“He doesn’t seem to have done anything in a while, so hopefully he’s recovering from whatever happened and he’ll be back to normal soon,” Hyunjin said hopefully. If that was what Minho was actually like, he had no doubt that they could be good friends someday.

“That’s what we hope too,” Changbin said. He didn’t realize how much he missed Minho until he started thinking about the older boy. Everything was so different without him.

“I’m really sorry that he’s disappeared on you,” Hyunjin said. He could tell how sad talking about this was making Changbin.

Changbin mustered a small smile. “It’s not your fault,” he said gently, “it’s no one’s fault really. They say everything happens for a reason and I just hope this is a good one.”

“Still,” Hyunjin said, “it makes you sad and I don’t want you to be sad.”

“It’s okay, Hyunjin,” Changbin said, “I appreciate the concern, but you don’t have to worry, alright? I’m honestly used to Minho not being around as much so it’s not too bad.”

“Seo Changbin, you have to let me care about you,” Hyunjin said, crossing his arms a little petulantly, “why is it so hard for you to let me do that?”

Changbin was a little taken aback by how insistent Hyunjin was. “You have your own friends and yourself to worry about,” he said, “I know you have a lot on your plate and you don’t need to add me to the pile. And I have Jacob hyung to look after me when I need it.”

“Well, yeah, but I want to worry about you,” Hyunjin said with a pout, “that’s half of what it means to be friends.”

“We could be friends without you worrying,” Changbin said gently. Internally, he was starting to panic. Hyunjin was a really nice kid, and while he would love to be friends with him, he didn’t want to risk scaring him off.

“Honestly, you can’t really stop me from worrying about you,” Hyunjin said, “I’m a worrier. It’s how I express affection.” Well, he was a clinger too, but Changbin didn’t seem to be that type of person.

Changbin sighed sadly. “There’s really not much to worry about so I guess there’s no point in stopping you,” he said, “but I’m sure there’s other ways to show affection other than worrying.”

“I mean, I also like to cuddle, but you don’t seem like the type of person that’s particularly into physical affection,” Hyunjin said slowly.

Changbin’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh, I don’t mind it,” he said slowly, “Jeongin used to hang all over me all the time, but I haven’t really seen him lately.” He wasn’t against cuddling per say, but he barely knew Hyunjin and he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea just yet. 

“It’s up to you,” Hyunjin said, “I know I can be really clingy and annoying, it’s okay. I won’t be upset if you say no.”

“You’re not annoying,” Changbin assured gently. He thought for a moment before making up his mind. “I’ll cuddle with you on the condition that you give me my book back.”

“I’ll give your book back but only if you put it away and don’t study right now,” Hyunjin countered. He was already reversing the charm on his bag and pulling the book out anyway.

“I’ll put it away and I won’t pick it up again until you leave,” Changbin promised. He stood from his desk chair and walked over to the bed to retrieve his book.

Hyunjin handed the book over, bouncing a little as he sat back down on the bed. He was nervous but also excited. He hadn’t gotten to cuddle with anyone in weeks.

Changbin put his book on the desk and set his wand down next to it. He did his best to hide his shaking hands as he settled onto the bed next to Hyunjin. The only person he had ever really cuddled with was Jeongin and his relationship with the younger boy was vastly different than his one with Hyunjin. 

“You don’t need to cuddle with me,” Hyunjin said dubiously, “I would’ve given your book back either way, Bin.”

“I made a deal and I wanted to uphold my end of it,” Changbin said. He looked up at Hyunjin nervously, hoping the younger boy would take the lead. 

“I don’t want you to do something you’re uncomfortable with,” Hyunjin said firmly, “deal or not, I don’t care. I don’t want to cuddle if you don’t want it too.”

“No, no, I do,” Changbin said quickly. “I just,” he dropped his eyes to the bed, “don’t know what to do. Jeongin usually just throws himself on me and we make it work, bony elbows and all.”

“I just don’t want to touch you in a way you’re uncomfortable with,” Hyunjin explained, “otherwise I would just throw myself.”

“That’s what Jeongin usually does and it all works out okay,” Changbin said, “I’ll let you know if I want you to stop, alright?”

Hyunjin hummed and hesitantly looped his arms around Changbin’s shoulders, dragging the older boy to lay down with him.

Changbin let himself be pulled down onto the bed. “You’re a lot gentler than Jeongin is,” he commented. He knew he was stiff as a board and he was doing his best to relax. It wasn’t that he didn’t want this, he was just incredibly nervous.

“I have a lot more limb than Jeonign does,” Hyunjin said, “I have to be more careful.” He scooted himself down a little bit and laid his head on Changbin’s shoulder.

Changbin chuckled quietly. He hesitantly reached an arm out to wrap it around Hyunjin. This was the closest he had been to someone in weeks and he knew it was painfully obvious.

“You can relax, Bin,” Hyunjin said, “it’s just some cuddling. It’s not complicated.”

Changbin pouted. He shifted one last time before settling down with a quiet sigh. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled quietly, “I should have warned you how awkward I am with new people, but it’s usually not hard to pick up on.”

“It’s okay, I understand feeling shy,” Hyunjin said. He looped one of his ankles around the other and he sighed to relax himself.

Changbin took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He wanted to enjoy his time with Hyunjin, not spend it panicking that the younger boy would suddenly decide he wasn’t worth it. “You’re a really trusting kid for someone who’s been through so much lately,” he said quietly, “everyone needs a friend like you, who’s willing to do whatever you need even from the beginning.”

“You’re just really easy to trust,” Hyunjin said, “I don’t know, there’s just something about you that makes it easy to be around you.”

Changbin hummed. “I’m not sure what it is either considering you’re one of the very few people who feel that way,” he said.

“I would say it’s your height, but Felix and Chan aren’t much taller than you and I’d be intimidated by them if I didn’t know them,” Hyunjin said, “Jisung too.”

“Guess we’ll never know,” Changbin said with a small chuckle. Fleetingly he wondered if Hyunjin simply liked him because he had helped protect him, but he didn’t like to think about that option. 

“I’m glad you stood up for me that day,” Hyunjin said, “not just because you were the only person willing to tell Yugyeom off, but also because it meant I got a new friend.”

Changbin smiled softly. “It’s really hard for me to meet new people so I’m glad I got the chance to know you,”’he said quietly, “of course I wish it was different circumstances.”

“If you hadn’t stepped in when you did, I don’t know what he would have done to me,” Hyunjin said quietly, “so really, thank you.”

Changbin subconsciously tightened his grip on Hyunjin. “I’m sorry no one stopped him sooner. And I don’t even mean that time, I just mean in general. He was a dick to so many people and I can’t believe it took so long to get him out of here,” he said. 

“I think they were hoping he would graduate before it got too bad, but it escalated too much this year,” Hyunjin said with a sigh.

“Well the good thing is that he’s gone and I’m never gonna let anyone treat you like that ever again,” Changbin said. He wasn’t usually this protective over people, but there was just something different about Hyunjin. 

That made Hyunjin smile. “Just don’t let yourself get hurt in the process,” he said, “I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to Jisung.”

“I won’t,” Changbin assured, “and I have Jacob if I really need help, but I doubt that’ll happen. Just focus on enjoying the rest of this year, ok? You deserve to focus on yourself for a little while.”

Hyunjin sighed, snuggling a little bit closer. “If I focus too much on myself, I end up trapped in my own head,” he mumbled. 

“You gotta find a balance,” Changbin said gently, “don’t worry, we’ll get there.” He let his hand gently run up and down Hyunjin’s side. This was much more relaxing than he was expecting and he was grateful.

Changbin’s touch was so light that it made Hyunjin shiver a little. It was nice though. The older boy was obviously doing his best to be careful, which Hyunjin appreciated. 

Changbin paused when he felt Hyunjin quivering against his side. He didn’t think the boy was nervous, but he didn’t want to risk it.

“You can, like, actually touch me,” Hyunjin said after a few moments, “I’m not gonna break.” He definitely preferred solid touch over light touch. 

Changbin hesitantly wrapped his arm around Hyunjin again. He tightened his grip and pulled the boy closer against his side. “Is this better?” he asked quietly. 

Hyunjin hummed affirmatively. He had been doing his best to get used to being touched without being scared and being with someone he trusted definitely helped. 

“You’re easy to please,” Changbin said, “Jeongin’s a brat and can never get comfortable. It’s nice to have someone who appreciates your efforts.”

“On the contrary, I’m just used to never being able to find a comfortable position,” Hyunjin said, “I’ve just resigned myself to always having at least one limb fall asleep.”

Changbin’s eyes widened slightly. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he said, shifting slightly to sit up, “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. You’re supposed to relax.”

“I am relaxed,” Hyunjin said, “I’m just significantly taller than you, so nothing other than spooning would really be comfortable, and even that would have an arm falling asleep.”

“Hey, I’m not that much shorter than you,” Changbin said with a pout. He settled back down more comfortably again. 

“No, and we’ll both get taller still, but I’ve already got some distance on you,” Hyunjin teased.

“You may be taller than me, but I’ll always have a year on you,” Changbin pointed out, “and if I were you, I’d be careful or I’ll hex you to be short forever.”

Hyunjin gasped in mock offense. “Are you threatening me, Binnie Bin?” he asked. 

“If you keep using nicknames like that I will be,” Changbin said feigning seriousness. He turned his head away to try and hide his smile. 

“I mean, there’s worse things I could call you,” Hyunjin said, “I heard you go by Baby Changbean?”

Changbin pouted. “I do not,” he said firmly, “no one’s called me that in months.”

“Jeonginnie called you that just last night,” Hyunjin said, “he told me it’s your  _ favorite _ nickname.”

Changbin pouted more. “You really believe what comes out of Jeongin’s mouth? Really? Even after knowing him?” he asked with a shake of his head, “you should know better than to believe the lies he spreads.”

“I wasn’t going to, but then Jacob backed him up,” Hyunjin said, “and I figured the Head Boy  _ must _ be trustworthy.”

“Who’s side are you on anymore, huh?” Changbin asked, turning back towards Hyunjin, “here I was thinking you were a sweet kid and now you’re using nicknames against me.”

“I think it’s cute!” Hyunjin defended, “just like you.”

Changbin had to take a moment to register what Hyunjin said. “I-I’m not cute,” he said quietly.

“Yes you are!” Hyunjin said, “you’re absolutely adorable!”

Changbin smiled sadly. “I think you’ve lost your mind there, kiddo,” he said lightly, “maybe you need a nap to get it back.”

“Nuh uh,” Hyunjin protester, “just accept it, Binnie, you’re cute. Masculine cute, but still cute.”

Changbin shook his head. “Alrighty, whatever you say,” he said quietly. It was weird hearing someone say he was cute. 

“Why would I lie to you?” Hyunjin asked, settling his head back on Changbin’s shoulder.

“It’s not that I think you’re lying,” Changbin said, “I just wasn’t expecting you to say it. The height’s not everything ya know.”

“I know,” Hyunjin said, “you have a cute personality too. I mean, not as cute as me, but still cute.”

Changbin rolled his eyes. “You really are something else,” he said. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hyunjin asked with a pout, turning to look up at Changbin.

“It’s not bad,” Changbin said quickly, “this just isn’t what I expected you to be like when I first met you. Which is a good thing. I thought you were this shy, timid kid, but you’re funny and outgoing, even with people you don’t know well. It’s a nice change of pace from most of the people in this school.”

“I am shy and timid most of the time,” Hyunjin said, “but once I get to know someone, at least enough to decide I want to be friends with them, I’m an open book.”

“That’s a good thing. It makes you more genuine,” Changbin said. He felt bad that he wasn’t as open as Hyunjin was, but he was simply a more closed off person.

Hyunjin flushed. He didn’t know what to say to that. “Thank you,” he mumbled quietly. 

Changbin smiled softly. It was nice just to lay in bed and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. However, it suddenly dawned on him that they had been in his room for a while. “Your friends aren’t gonna get mad that you’re here, are they?” he asked hesitantly. 

“Probably not,” Hyunjin said, “I skip classes all the time, except for Care and sometimes Herbology. They might be a little worried if we’re up here for too long, but now that Yugyeom’s gone, they don’t worry about me disappearing as much.”

Changbin relaxed a little. “Oh that’s good. I just would hate to see them get mad at you for spending time up here instead of with them,” he said. 

“No, they’re all good kids that like their theoretical classes,” Hyunjin said, “I can only really handle the practical ones. Everything else I’m better off teaching myself.”

“Well whenever all of your friends are in class and you’re bored, you know where to find me,” Changbin said. He was actually looking forward to helping Hyunjin with some of his classes, if only to spend more time with the Hufflepuff. 

Hyunjin glanced at his watch and sighed. He still had another hour before he’d be able to brave the cold and head to the greenhouses. That, and he should probably let Changbin get to class too.

“You don’t have to stay anymore if you don’t want to,” Changbin said when he noticed Hyunjin check his watch. He had to get started on his homework soon, but he really didn’t want to get up unless he had to. 

“I want to,” Hyunjin said, “but I feel bad keeping you from class.”

“I don’t have class for a little while,” Changbin said. If he was being honest he had no idea what time it was, but he wasn’t worried about it.

“I guess you’re mine for another hour or so then,” Hyunjin said. He hunkered down, hoping to take a quick nap.

Changbin smiled softly. “Aww is the baby tired?” he asked in a teasing voice. 

“Shut up,” Hyunjin mumbled, “I’m not a baby.” He wouldn’t deny that he was tired though. 

“You are absolutely a baby,” Changbin said, “but get some sleep and I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Don’t let me miss Herbology,” Hyunjin requested as he stifled a yawn, “I need to be down there in an hour.”

“I won’t,” Changbin promised, “I’ll wake you up in a little while.” As much as he didn’t want Hyunjin to leave, he was glad the younger boy wasn’t skipping all of his classes.

Hyunjin didn’t hide the yawn this time. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled into Changbin’s shoulder and fell asleep. 

Changbin was grateful that Hyunjin was so relaxed with him. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him to trust anyone after what happened with Yugyeom. He tried to savor the time they had together as much as possible and was sad when he had to gently shake the younger boy awake so he could go to class. 

Hyunjin was whiny and pouty when Changbin woke him up, but he knew he needed to attend at least one class. With a heavy sigh, he bid Changbin goodbye and headed out to the greenhouses. 

Changbin felt lighter. There was just something about Hyunjin that made him so relaxed and...happy? He didn’t know what it was, but it was something good nonetheless. With a content sigh, Chanbin moved back to his desk and got to work. 

As Hyunjin headed across the cold grounds toward the mass of Hufflepuffs near the greenhouse, he felt much lighter than he had earlier. Things were going to be fine. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is familiar with this series this chapter is a repost.

Minho walked across the snow covered grounds, past the Quidditch pitch, and into the Forbidden Forest. He knew no one would be around at this hour, let alone in these temperatures. As he thought it, a chill ran through his body and he tugged his coat tighter around himself and trekked on. 

The clearing was small and snowcovered, meticulously clean of footprints. It had an air of Dark magic, enough that the other creatures of the forest chose to stay away. The man watched from beyond the treeline as the boy stepped into the clearing and all but threw his wand on the ground, leaving himself defenseless. He stared blankly ahead, waiting. Sighing heavily, the man lowered his own wand and stepped into the clearing as well, temporarily releasing Minho from his hold.

Minho inhaled sharply when his mind suddenly cleared and he registered where he was.  _ Not here _ , he thought,  _ not again _ . He debated running, but realized that wasn’t an option when a cloaked man stepped out from behind the trees.

“Did you have a good break, Minho?” the man asked softly, “spend some time with your mother? Your little sister?” 

Minho took a small step back. “Y-yeah,” he choked out past the lump in his throat. He was terrified out of his mind and didn’t know if he was shaking more from that or the cold. 

“How have you been doing with your task?” the man asked. He slowly circled the clearing, forcing Minho closer to the center.

Minho pressed his lips together so that he didn’t chew on them. “Small progress, but it’s going to take a long time,” he lied. He wasn’t going to admit that he hadn’t been trying at all, that wouldn’t go well for anyone.

“That’s not good enough,” the man said, “I’ve already accepted too many failures from you. What’s your plan?”

Minho flinched. “Get Jeongin to trust me enough to come willingly,” he answered timidly. He wrapped his arms around himself and kept a nervous eye on the cloaked man. 

“And how do you plan on doing that when you haven’t talked to him since October?” the man said, “do you think I’m  _ stupid _ , Minho?”

Minho whimpered pitifully. “N-No,” he stuttered out, “I’ll do it. I promise.” He wasn’t going to be able to stall much longer without something bad happening, maybe it was time he went to someone for help. 

“I think you need some motivation,” the man said, rounding the clearing and standing in front of Minho again, “your little sister, she’ll be starting at Hogwarts next year, yes? It would be a shame if something were to happen to her before she could make it here.”

“No!” Minho cried out, “y-you can’t hurt her. I’ll work harder, I swear, just please don’t hurt her.” He would never be able to live with himself if his sister got hurt because of him.

The man brought his wand up and made a slashing motion, leaving a small cut on MInho’s cheek. “Do not talk back to me,” he hissed.

Minho stumbled backwards a few steps and clutched at his cheek. “I-I’m sorry,” he said meekly. Tears pricked the corners of eyes, threatening to spill over any second. 

“ _ Imperio _ ,” the man muttered, pointing his wand at Minho and watching as the boy went still, eyes glazing over. His hand fell from his cheek and he picked up his wand from the ground.

Minho stared at the man with a blank expression, waiting for what to do. The orders were always the same, but he waited patiently regardless.

“Bring me Yang Jeongin,” the man said quietly, “by any means necessary. Tell no one.”

Minho nodded once and slipped his wand back into his pocket. He left the clearing and made his way back through the Forbidden Forest until he reached the castle grounds. After making sure no one was around, he stepped out from behind the trees and made the slow trek back to the castle.

Jacob was in the Slytherin common room, finishing up some last minute homework. It was late and he still hadn’t seen Minho come back, so he was waiting for the younger boy to return before he went to bed. Even if Minho didn’t want to talk to him, Jacob still wanted to make sure he was safe.

Minho was surprised to find Jacob in the common room so late. Usually the Head Boy was well asleep by now or in the Hufflepuff dorm with Chan. He didn’t like the idea of losing House points for being out late, but maybe Jacob would be nice tonight. Putting his head down, he walked quickly towards his own bedroom. 

“Minho,” Jacob called, looking up from his homework, “can I talk to you for a moment?”

Minho froze but didn’t turn around yet. “Last time I talked to you, you sent me to the Headmaster’s office. Why should I listen to you this time?” he asked coldly. 

“I just wanted to ask how your break was,” Jacob said, slowly and carefully, “just a chat, nothing serious. We haven’t talked in a while.”

Minho scoffed, but turned around anyways. He crossed his arms and stared down at Jacob. “No kidding,” he spat, “my break was fine and I assume yours was the same. Anything else you need? It’s late and I would much rather be in bed than chitchatting.” 

“Were you just off at tutoring or something? You know I can help you if you’re struggling with class,” Jacob offered.

“I’m doing fine in my classes,” Minho said, ignoring the question, “and I can handle myself if that changes.” Every second he talked to Jacob made this whole situation much more dangerous and he needed to get away from the older boy as soon as possible. 

“Minho,” Jacob sighed, “is everything okay? If there’s something going on, you know I can help you, right? You won’t get in trouble.”

“Oh yeah, because sending me to the Headmaster and getting me kicked off the Quidditch team was helping me,” Minho snarked, “I don’t trust you anymore so thanks for the offer, but go focus on someone who needs it.”

“ _ You _ were the something going on in that situation,” Jacob said with a sigh, “but no one wants to see you isolated. Jeonginnie and I miss you a lot, Min.”

Minho rolled his eyes. “Oh, cut the bullshit,” he snapped, “Jeongin hates me and quite honestly I wouldn’t be mad if I never saw him again.” He had to lie to make sure that Jacob didn’t suspect anything.

“Jeongin doesn’t hate you,” Jacob said firmly, “he’s upset, sure, and let down, but he could never hate you. The kid doesn’t have a single hateful bone in his body.”

“Whatever you say,” Minho said breezily, “are we done here now?” He was actually starting to get scared. He hadn’t talked to anyone, especially Jacob, in a long time and he didn’t know what the older boy would uncover. 

“We really care about you, y’know?” Jacob said with a sigh, standing and approaching Minho, “if something’s happening, I want to help you fix it. Not as the Head Boy, not with the administration, but as your friend.” His eyes trailed over his friend’s face, eyebrows furrowing as he caught sight of a cut on the sixth year’s cheek.

Minho backed away from Jacob. “I don’t need help. Nothing’s wrong and I’m sick of you assuming something is. If you really cared about me, you’d respect what I want and  _ leave. Me. Alone, _ ” he said forcefully. 

“You never used to be like this,” Jacob said sadly, more to himself than anything, “what happened to the Minho that would never hurt a fly?”

Minho glared at Jacob. “He’s gone. And you're wasting your time trying to get him back,” he replied, “just...just leave me alone, please. It’s better for all of us.” The fight was slowly draining from his body and all that was left was exhaustion, fear, and a small voice in the back of his head that was reminding him to keep Jacob out of this.

“Minho,” Jacob said quietly, before sighing and stepping away, “you should get to bed.”

Minho’s shoulders slumped in relief. He immediately turned around and scurried into his room, grateful to be away from Jacob. That could have gone horribly if they talked for much longer. As he climbed into bed there was only one thing on his mind: what to do about Jeongin. 

Jacob sighed and dropped down in his chair, burying his face in his hands. He didn’t know what to do. All of his friends seemed to be falling apart in various ways and he didn’t know how to help.

Jacob spent the next two weeks desperately trying to come up with a way to help Minho, but he had nothing. He felt his friend slipping through his fingers with each passing day and he didn’t know what to do anymore. 

Chan was frustrated, to say the least. Even in all the time he and Jacob spent together, it seemed like the older boy was barely there. He was simply too caught in his head. When Chan had asked him what he was so distracted by, Jacob had mumbled something about Minho and rolled over, facing away from him. By the time two weeks had passed, Chan had had enough. “Cobi, we need to talk,” he said firmly.

Jacob blinked up at Chan. “What’s going on, babe?” he asked hesitantly. Chan never started a conversation like this unless it was exceptionally serious and Jacob wasn’t sure what to expect. 

“You’ve been really distracted lately,” Chan said, “and you know I’m not usually one to beg for constant attention, but it’s getting excessive. What are you so locked in your head about?”

Jacob sighed sadly. “Minho,” he replied quietly, “I finally had the chance to talk to him a few weeks ago, but it went horribly. He’s not the Minho I know anymore and I just want my friend back.” 

Chan frowned. He’d expected something like Jeongin or Changbin, but Minho? “Babe, Minho’s made his loyalties pretty clear,” he said slowly, “I think it’s time to let it go.”

Jacob’s eyes widened slightly. “I can’t just give up on him. That’s...that’s not how this works. He’s been one of my best friends since the day he got here and I can’t just...let him go,” he said, “something’s wrong, I know it is. I just...don’t know what exactly it is yet.”

“Cobi, there’s clearly nothing you can do to help him anymore,” Chan said, “and I hate seeing you so worked up over it. I just don’t think it’s worth your stress any more, not with NEWTs coming up.”

“But he  _ needs  _ someone,” Jacob insisted, “he’s not gonna have anyone to fight for him once I leave and I don’t know what’ll happen. I know it’d be easier to give up, but I can’t. My Minho’s in there somewhere, I just don’t know where.”

“Your Minho almost killed Jisung, permanently fucked my shoulder, and spent weeks throwing both Jeongin and Seungmin through the wringer,” Chan said, a little more aggravated now, “what’s more important to you? Your friends that need your support or the one kid that clearly doesn't want it?”

“All of you are important to me,” Jacob said, a little hurt, “and that wasn’t my Minho. My Minho could never hurt a fly, let alone attack Jisung and hurt you like that. I know it’s hard to understand, but I know him better than anyone and this isn’t him.”

“It’s been months, Cobi. Your Minho is obviously gone and whoever’s replaced him doesn’t seem to give a fuck,” Chan said tersely, “it’s time to give it up.”

Jacob was a little taken aback by how upset Chan was. “I would do this for any of you,” he said quietly, “if any of my friends were going through something like this, especially you, I would fight ‘til the end to fix it. I promised Minho, just like I promised all of my friends, that I would protect them as long as I could and I intend to keep that promise.” 

“I’m just concerned that you’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” Chan said, “Minho’s a problem, anyone can see that. He’s targeted two of my kids and one of yours, but somehow, he seems to matter more in your eyes. Someone’s going to get seriously hurt if you’re not careful, Cobi.”

“I just want him back. I want to put an end to all of this. If I just let it go, who knows who he’s going to go after next,” Jacob said, “I would never be able to live with myself if he started hurting people again because I gave up on him.” 

“He’s hurt more people with you trying to quote unquote help him than he has in his previous five years combined,” Chan said, “I’m sorry, Cobi, but my kids take priority over your problem case.”

“Something snapped this year and I don’t know what it was. Please, Chris, you have to understand. I wouldn’t be fighting for him if it wasn’t important,” Jacob said. 

“Don’t call me that right now,” Chan snapped, “I don’t know why you’re so insistent on fixating on him, but I do know that I would much rather see Minho fall through the cracks than watch you enable him to hurt anyone else.”

Jacob stared at Chan with wide eyes. “I-I’m not enabling him,” he said quietly, “wouldn’t you do the same thing if you were in my position and this was one of your kids?”

“I am in the same position with one of my kids,” Chan said, “Jisung’s been repeatedly threatening Jeongin for weeks, even after promising Seungmin he wouldn’t. And Jisung knows that until he gets his head out of his ass, he’s not welcome anywhere near us. I’m not trying to dig him out of the ditch he got himself into. He has a shovel; he’s just refusing to use it.”

“But Minho doesn’t have a shovel,” Jacob said, “he has nothing to help himself and that’s what I’m for. He  _ needs  _ me. He may not realize it, but something’s going on that he can’t solve on his own and I’m not gonna watch him struggle alone.”

“Is this a savior complex, Cobi? Is that what’s happening?” Chan asked, “he may not have a shovel, but he can clearly see the one you’re offering and he doesn’t want it. He’d rather just be buried in his ditch and at this point, I don’t see a problem with that.”

Jacob frowned. “You know what Minho means to me and yet you couldn’t care less,” he said with a shake of his head, “and you also know that I don’t give up on my friends no matter what. I’m sorry but I’m not letting go until I have the Minho I grew up with back.”

“He’s not coming back, Cobi!” Chan finally yelled, slamming his hand on the table, “why can’t you see that? You might care about him but he couldn’t give a  _ damn _ about you and I’m tired of watching you fight for someone who just doesn’t give a fuck!”

Jacob jumped. He hadn’t seen Chan get this angry in a long time. “You don’t know that. And you don’t know him like I do,” he said calmly, “my Minho does care. He cares about me and Jeongin and Changbin. I just have to get him back. Why...why do you have to fight me on this? We’re supposed to support each through thick and thin.”

“I can’t support you running yourself into the ground on this,” Chan said, “he doesn’t care about you anymore and I need you to open your eyes and see that. I can’t watch you get hurt, Cobi.”

“I’m not gonna get hurt,” Jacob assured, “the only thing that hurts right now is arguing with you about this.”

“Maybe not physically, but once you fucking open your eyes and see that the person you thought was your friend is gone? That’s going to be a punch in the gut, Cobi,” Chan said, softening his voice, “he’s not...there’s no Minho anymore, okay?”

“He’s not gone,” Jacob said forcefully, “I don’t care if every other person on the face of this Earth disagrees with me, I’m not giving up on my friend. And that’s final.”

“I can’t with you right now,” Chan said, “and I can’t believe that you’re really picking Minho over Jeongin. After everything he’s done? Unbelievable.”

“I’m not picking him over anyone. If this was Jeongin, I would be doing the exact same thing,” Jacob said, “if this was  _ any  _ of my friends, I’d be doing the same thing.”

“You picked Minho over Jeongin from the very beginning, the moment you decided it was better to keep Minho as a close friend than to support Jeongin,” Chan said, really losing his patience now, “I don’t even know who you are right now.”

“I’ve always supported, Jeongin,” Jacob said defensively, “but Minho needs more help right now so that’s where my focus is.” If he was being honest with himself, he was getting quite sick of this conversation. 

“Minho doesn’t  _ need _ help. Minho doesn’t  _ want _ help. What Minho needs is a good knock to the face and a cold shoulder,” Chan said, “I can’t watch him get away with hurting any more people, Jacob.”

“The only person he’s hurting right now is himself, and I’m not gonna stand by and let that happen,” Jacob said, “you don’t have to support him, you don’t even have to support me, but what I ask is that you respect the decision I’ve made to help my friend. And if there are repercussions, I’m prepared to face them.”

“I can’t,” Chan said seriously, “not when the predicament your friend is in is because of his own decisions to terrorize  _ my  _ friends. I’ve never seen you so willing to defend someone so abusive, Jacob, and quite frankly, it scares me a little.”

“I’m not defending his actions! What he did was horrible, but that’s not the Minho I know. Why…” Jacob stopped himself and raised a hand to rub his forehead. “We’re going in circles. I can’t do this anymore.”

“I have never once known you to take the side of the bully,” Chan said, “and now I’m wondering if I even know you at all.” With a heavy sigh and shaky fingers, he pried the ring off of his left hand. “I think you should hold onto this until you’ve come to your senses.” He carefully placed the ring on the table next to Jacob’s book and turned to leave.

Jacob watched with wide eyes as Chan took off the ring and set it down. “Chan, wait, please,” he begged, “you don’t have to do this.” 

“I’m sorry, Jacob,” Chan said quietly, “I just think it’s for the best right now.” He left the Slytherin common room before he could lose his resolve or break down in tears.

Jacob felt his chest tighten when Chan left the common room. He slowly reached for the ring, but the moment his finger touched the metal it dissolved into a small pile of dust. Jacob yanked his hand back like he had been burned and stared at where the ring had been sitting. His mind was reeling and he was struggling to keep it together. He didn’t know what was going on or what was going to happen, but the one thing he did know was that Chan was completely serious and knew exactly what he was doing when he gave the ring back. 

Chan barely managed to make it back to his room before he dissolved into tears. It wasn’t exactly a breakup but it certainly felt like one. His chest hurt, like his heart had been ripped out. He wanted to run back to Jacob and apologize, but he knew it was too late for that. He’d given his boyfriend an ultimatum: him or Minho. There was nothing he could do to take that back now. 

With shaky hands, Jacob swept the dust into his hand and disappeared into his room. He placed the small pile on his desk and charmed it so none of it would blow away by accident. He collapsed into his desk chair and buried his face in his hands. Now there were two people he had to fight to get back and he didn’t know if he could do it.

Chan wasn’t sure how the kids knew that something was wrong, but he soon found himself at the bottom of a Felix-Hyunjin-Seungmin dog pile. He hiccuped, wiping his face as best as he could.

The minute Felix said something was wrong with Chan, the boys had rushed into his room. Unfortunately the resulting pile meant a few elbows got buried into ribcages, but Seungmin ignored it, opting to focus on Chan instead. “Hyung, what happened?” he asked gently.

Chan took a shuddering breath and extracted his left hand from the bottom of the pile, leaving it where everyone could see. “I think we broke up,” he said, voice thick.

Seungmin couldn’t help the small gasp that slipped past his lips. Of all of the unpredictability of this school the one thing he thought would never change was Jacob and Chan. “Hyung, I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. Something horrible must have happened for Chan to take his ring off and Seungmin was afraid to ask. 

“He’s so focused on fixing Minho,” Chan mumbled, “that’s not the Jacob I know, or the Jacob I fell in love with. My Jacob would never choose bullies over his own friends.”

“Oh, hyung, I’m sorry,” Seungmin said again, “I could ask Innie to talk to him and see what he says.” He didn’t want to step on any toes but if he could get Jacob and Chan back together, he would do it. 

“No, I don’t want Jeongin involved. I don’t want you guys involved either. This is something Jacob and I have to solve between us,” Chan said with a sniffle. 

Seungmin frowned. “Do  _ you _ need anything?” he asked. He was still going to ask Jeongin to check on Jacob, but right now his priority was Chan. 

“No, I’ll - I’ll be okay,” Chan said, sniffling again, “he’ll come around. I know he will.”

Seungmin hugged Chan tightly. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” he said confidently, “he loves you too much to lose you.”

“But does he love me enough to lose Minho?” Chan questioned. He didn’t think so.

Seungmin didn’t have an answer to that. He didn’t know Jacob at all and he wasn’t about to get Chan’s hopes up. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” he said again. 

Chan smiled sadly. He didn’t think it would be, but Seungmin didn’t need to hear that. “Thanks, Minnie,” he said quietly. 

“And you’ll always have us no matter what,” Seungmin assured. He wasn’t sure if that was comforting or not, but he wanted to make sure Chan knew none of them were going anywhere.

Chan hummed. “You guys should go back to bed,” he said, “I think I need to be alone for a bit.”

Seungmin felt his shoulders droop. “Okay, hyung. You know where to find us if you need anything,” he said. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Chan alone right now, but he wasn’t going to argue. Painstakingly he climbed out of the pile and led the way from the room. 

Hyunjin and Felix both cast Chan sad glances as Seungmin pulled them from the room. They all hoped that this would resolve soon.

“What do we do?” Seungmin asked miserably when they were all back in their own room, “I’ve never seen him so upset about anything before.”

“He doesn’t want us to get involved, and I doubt Jacob would listen to us anyway,” Hyunjin said sadly, “we just need to wait it out.”

Seungmin sighed sadly and bit his lip that was beginning to wobble. He didn’t like the idea of sitting back and doing nothing to help, but if that’s what Chan wanted then that’s what he would do. 

“Oh, come here, you big baby,” Hyunjin said, pulling Seungmin into a tight hug, “they’re going to be fine. This is Chan and Jacob we’re talking about.”

Seungmin pouted but hugged Hyunjin back. “I know. And I know they’ve gotten in arguments before, but nothing like this,” he said miserably.

“Give it a week and I’m sure they’ll be back together and totally fine,” Hyunjin said. He stuck out a long limb and tugged Felix into the hug as well.

Jacob hadn’t been able to drag himself out of his desk chair. He sat there, staring blankly at the pile of ash through blurry eyes. Two of the most important people in his life were gone and he was overwhelmed trying to think of how to get them back. He knew his Minho was out there somewhere and he wasn’t about to give up on his friend, but Chan was the love of his life and the man he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. He couldn’t lose him, he just couldn’t. But why was it so hard to give up on Minho?

Jeongin was surprised to see Jacob’s door open when he snuck into the common room after having accidentally fallen asleep in the library. He approached the older boy’s room cautiously and peeked his head in. “Hyung?” he called quietly, “Are you still up?”

Jacob jumped when Jeongin suddenly appeared in his doorway. He discreetly wiped his eyes before turning his attention towards the younger boy. “I was just heading to bed now,” he said, voice thick, “do you need something?” He sincerely hoped the answer would be no, but Jeongin was too cunning not to pick up on the fact that something was wrong. 

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” Jeongin stepped into the room and carefully closed the door before approaching the older boy. 

Jacob sighed sadly and gestured toward the small pile of ash on his desk. “Chan gave me his ring back,” he whispered through the lump in his throat. 

“Oh my god, Jacob, I’m so sorry,” Jeongin said, rushing the rest of the way over, “what happened?”

Jacob blinked and suddenly Jeongin was right in front of him. He looked up at the boy with sad eyes. “We got in an argument about Minho,” he said quietly, “he wants me to give up on him, but I can’t. But I also can’t lose Chan either. I love him so much, but I don’t know what to do.”

Jeongin sighed and crouched down in front of Jacob. “Hyung,” he said carefully, “Minho’s already been lost. I want him back just as desperately as you do, but it just...it isn’t going to happen. He’s gone.”

“If that was Chan would you tell me to give up? If that was you would you want me to give up?” Jacob asked, “I know Chan’s really upset right now and once I figure out a plan I’m gonna go talk to him and make sure he understands he’s still my top priority.” 

“If Chan or I were actively trying to hurt people I cared about? Yeah, I would. And I don’t know what he’s said to you, but Minho’s made it pretty clear to me that he doesn’t want help,” Jeongin said, trying to be gentle.

Jacob sighed sadly. He didn’t want to have this conversation again, especially with Jeongin. “I’ll talk to Chan soon,” he said simply. His fingers absentmindedly played with his ring as he wondered what to do.

“I get it,” Jeongin said, “I want Minho back too. But I wouldn’t risk my relationship with Seungmin over it, even after only a few weeks, especially with everything he’s done to Seungmin. You and Chan have years of history together, and I know Minho’s one of your best friends, but you shouldn’t let those years go to waste over someone you can’t save.”

“I don’t want to lose either of them,” Jacob said, “and I know losing one is better than losing both. And I would choose Chan over anything, but if I have the chance to get our Minho back I want to take it. I don’t think he’s gone and if I’m the only one that believes that so be it. Thank you for your concern but I’m exhausted and you need to get to bed too.”

“I mean,” Jeongin said, standing up, “you clearly wouldn’t choose him over anything if you can’t make up your mind. That’s probably more of what he’s upset about, honestly. You’re asking him to support you in trying to reason with someone who’s simply unreasonable, but you won’t support him in trying to protect his friends from that same person. Talk to Chan, but make sure you reevaluate your priorities first.”

Jacob sighed again. “Yes, Jeongin, I will,” he said tiredly. He picked up his wand and opened the door from where he sat. He needed to go to sleep so he could think about this the following morning when he had a clearer head. 

“I hope you do the right thing,” Jeongin said before finally leaving the room and heading to his own bed. 

Jacob closed the door behind Jeongin before putting his wand back down. He climbed into bed without bothering to get changed and curled into a ball. He slowly pulled the ring off of his finger and twirled it in his hands. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered to the empty room. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone familiar with this series this chapter is a repost. Hope you're looking forward to a new chap on Wednesday!
> 
> TWs: discussions of death

The next day, after classes ended, Jeongin sequestered himself in Seungmin’s room. He had managed to drag the older boy away from his homework to cuddle in bed and was very pleased with himself. 

Seungmin couldn’t believe how easily Jeongin managed to wrangle him into bed. He really was a sucker for the younger boy. “You’re lucky you’re cute you know,” he mumbled as he got comfortable.

“It’s your obligation as my boyfriend to nap with me,” Jeongin said with a small shrug, “it’s out of my hands.”

“Oh is that it? So you’re just doing this ‘cause you have to, not ‘cause you want to. I see how it is,” Seungmin teased. 

“There’s equal elements of both,” Jeongin teased back, “Maybe a little more desire than necessity.”

“Oh so  _ now  _ you want me. Yeah, uh huh, okay,” Seungmin joked, “can’t believe all I’m good for is some cuddling.”

“That’s not all you’re good for,” Jeongin said with a pout. Now he felt bad for teasing. 

“Aw, Innie, it’s okay,” Seungmin said, “I’m just messing with you.” He raised a hand and bopped Jeongin on the nose gently. 

Jeongin wrinkled his nose; it tickled now from the tiny touch. “How’s your dad?” he asked, changing the subject. 

“He’s really good. Those notebooks are so perfect and I think he’s doing a lot better now that we’re using them. He asks about you all the time,” Seungmin said. 

“That’s great,” Jeongin said, “I’m really glad to hear that.” He was happy that he had been able to do something so helpful for Seungmin and his dad.

“When do you think we can tell him?” Seungmin asked quietly. He didn’t want to push Jeongin, but he was itching to tell his dad.

“You can tell him whenever you want,” Jeongin said, “I just felt awkward telling him while I was there.”

“Next time I write him, I’ll make sure you’re with me so we can tell him together,” Seungmin said excitedly. He knew his dad already liked Jeongin so he couldn’t wait for his reaction. 

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he already suspects,” Jeongin said, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

Seungmin giggled. “Maybe. He does pick up on things pretty quickly,” he said. 

Jeongin leaned forward and kissed Seungmin softly. “Even if he’s mad, it doesn’t matter,” he said, “you can’t get rid of me now.”

Seungmin smiled widely. “He won’t be mad,” he assured, “he might even like you more than me at this point.” 

“Oh, I doubt that,” Jeongin said, shaking his head, “he’s your dad, of course he likes you better.”

“I don’t know, he talks about you an awful lot,” Seungmin said, “but in all seriousness he really likes you. I think he’ll be excited.”

“I hope so,” Jeongin said. For a fleeting moment, he wished he had a dad to introduce his boyfriend to. 

Seungmin caught the way Jeongin’s face fell and he dropped the subject. Instead he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead. 

Jeongin hid himself in his boyfriend’s chest. The next couple of days we’re going to be rough and he was glad that he had Seungmin there for him to lean on. 

Seungmin wrapped his arms around Jeogin and held him close. A comfortable silence enveloped them and he lost all track of time. 

Jeongin ended up falling asleep and spending the night in Seungmin’s bed. When he woke the next morning, he could already feel the heavy cloud over his head. He didn’t want to move at all, so he buried deeper under his boyfriend’s covers until his head was laying on Seungmin’s stomach, completely covered by the blanket. 

Seungmin blinked his eyes open when he felt Jeongin shift. The boy had burrowed himself deep beneath the blankets and Seungmin couldn’t tell if he was asleep or not. Gently he reached under the blankets and combed his fingers through Jeongin’s soft hair. 

Jeongin whined. “I don’t wanna get up,” he mumbled, “gonna stay here all day.”

Seungmin chuckled quietly. “We have to get up soon to get something to eat and then we can come right back here,” he said, “if you promise to let me work all day tomorrow I won’t do any homework either.”

Jeongin shook his head. “Don’t feel good,” he mumbled sadly, “you can go. I’ll stay here.”

Seungmin frowned. “Oh no, Innie, I’m sorry. What’s bothering you? Head? Stomach? I can go get you something and bring it back to you,” he fussed. 

“I’m okay,” Jeongin said softly, shaking his head, “I just need to sleep it off.”

Seungmin sighed. “Alright. You go back to sleep and I’ll be here when you wake up again, okay? But can you even breathe under there?” he asked. He slowly picked up the covers. 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Jeongin said, offering Seungmin a tight smile, “just please don’t tell Jacob, okay? He’ll worry himself to an aneurysm.”

Seungmin nodded. “Yeah, no problem,” he said. He didn’t really talk to Jacob anyway, but he would only bring it to the older boy if Jeongin wasn’t feeling better in a few days.

“Thanks, baby,” Jeongin said tiredly. He laid his head back down in the warm spot that Seungmin had left.

Seungmin smiled at the nickname. It was new for Jeongin to use it and it made him flustered every time. He continued running his hands through Jeongin’s hair until the boy had fallen back asleep. Then he carefully climbed out of bed and went to the Great Hall to snag them both some food for the day.

Jeongin didn’t sleep well, or long. He didn’t know why he still got so sad about this day. Technically, it was supposed to be something happy, but he never felt that way about it anymore.

Seungmin entered his room quietly, but Jeongin wasn’t asleep. “Hey, do you want to try to eat something?” he asked. 

“Not really,” Jeongin mumbled, “you can eat. I’m fine.”

Seungmin frowned. He felt bad eating without Jeongin, but he was getting hungry. When he was done he set the plate on his desk and crawled back into bed. He wasted no time wrapping his boyfriend in a tight hug. “What’s going on, Innie?” he asked, “you can talk to me you know.”

“I’m just sad,” Jeongin said with a heavy sigh, “I don’t want to go to class and deal with everyone looking at me like they pity me.”

“I’m sorry, Innie,” Seungmin murmured, “I’m gonna lay with you until you feel better, okay? No one’s gonna bother you and you don’t have to worry about anything except feeling better.”

“No, baby, you can go to class, it’s okay,” Jeongin said, “I’m just gonna sleep most of the day anyway.”

“I’m not leaving you alone like this,” Seungmin said firmly, “it was bad enough going down to the Great Hall. I’d never be able to focus in class anyway so there’s no point.”

Jeongin sighed and pressed closer to Seungmin. “Thank you,” he mumbled, “you’re amazing.”

Seungmin smiled softly. “I’m not just gonna leave you here to be sad alone. You deserve to have someone around when you need them most and that’s what I’m here for,” he said quietly. 

“Still,” Jeongin said, “I don’t normally like having people around today, but I’m really happy you’re here.”

Seungmin paused. “Oh it’s something about today? I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me anything,” he added quickly, “I’m just glad you trust me enough to let me stay with you.”

“It’s supposed to be the happiest day of the year, but that was taken away from me,” Jeongin said quietly.

Seungmin pouted. “It’s alright, Innie, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he said quietly. The wheels in his head were slowly turning and he was beginning to put everything together.

“I  _ hate _ him,” Jeongin choked out, “he took  _ everything _ from me, everything.”

“Easy, Innie, easy,” Seungmin said soothingly. He didn’t want his boyfriend to get too worked up if he could help it. “I’m so sorry. And I’m sorry you have to go through this every year,” he added sincerely. 

“Every year, I have to go through the same pain, every single fucking year,” Jeongin said, finally starting to cry, “why doesn’t it get any better?”

“Oh, Jeongin,” Seungmin murmured. He held his boyfriend tightly against him and let the boy cry into his shoulder. “Some pain will never go away, but sometimes it hurts a little less if you’re surrounded by the right people.”

“I just want them here,” Jeongin sobbed, “I miss them so much.”

Seungmin wished there was more he could do. He wished he could bring Jeongin’s parents back, but he couldn’t. All he could be was a shoulder to cry on and he knew it wasn’t enough right now. “I’m so sorry, Innie,” he said again.

Jeongin cried for a while. He barely remembered his parents, had no recollection of their faces outside of the few photographs that he had, and it hurt more every year. Every year, he remembered a little less. Soon, he would have nothing.

“You’re so strong and brave, Jeongin, and I know for a fact that they would be so proud of you. Anyone would be so proud of you,” Seungmin said gently, “I know today is so hard, but I’m gonna be here through it all as long as you need me.”

“I’m forgetting them,” Jeongin cried miserably, “I’m not going to remember them at all soon and that hurts worse than them being gone.”

Seungmin understood how scary that was. He was lucky to have had his mom for most of his life, but the edges were starting to get fuzzy. “That’s so hard” he mumbled, “I’m so sorry, Innie, I wish I could help you remember them. Just think about the good things as much as you can and they’ll stick with you.”

“I wish there was a way I could talk to them,” Jeongin mumbled, “I just want to know that they’re okay.”

Seungmin wracked his brain, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He was sure there was some magic that could help, but it was certainly beyond him. “I’m sorry, Innie. The Headmaster might be able to help you with something if you ask him,” he said. 

“Sometimes I wish he would have just killed me too,” Jeongin admitted quietly, “I miss them so much; it’s unbearable.”

Seungmin sucked in a breath. He didn’t like to think about what his life would be like if he never met Jeongin, but now was not the time to be selfish. “Sometimes it’s really so hard to continue without them,” he said. As sad of a thought as it was, Seungmin could understand why Jeongin felt that way.

“The closest thing I’ve had to parental figures since them was Jacob’s parents,” Jeongin mumbled, “and even they didn’t want me around forever.” He knew the reasons behind his departure from their household were more complicated than that - he was technically a ward of the Ministry and, unless the Baes were willing to put forth and straight up adopt him, something they couldn’t afford to do at the time, he had to go where the Ministry directed. Which, once he hit eleven, was Hogwarts, full time. It really wasn’t that the Baes didn’t want him; it was that they couldn’t afford to want him. 

“With how close you are to Jacob, I can’t imagine they didn’t want you,” Seungmin said gently. He didn’t want to make Jeongin more upset, but the thought of Jacob’s family not wanting him didn’t seem right.

“No,” Jeongin said with a sigh, “I’m exaggerating. Jacob’s mom doesn’t work and his dad’s salary was never quite enough to cover the expenses of a second child, especially once I was going to be going to school. It just...I know I’m wanted, but I just can’t feel it today. I remember the way I was bounced around so much as a kid and I can’t help but feel like my parents were the only ones who genuinely wanted me. Which isn’t even true because I was unplanned.”

A small frown pulled at Seungmin’s lips. “From what you told me about them, they loved you so much,” he said, “and it’s okay to be sad and not feel wanted today. I’m not here to change how you feel, I’m just here to be someone to lean on. I don’t want to see you go through this alone anymore.”

“Thanks, Minnie,” Jeongin said quietly, “Jacob and Changbin always try to make me eat cake and celebrate today, and I know they’re just trying to take my mind off of it, but I would rather just mourn instead. Minho used to get that, before he changed.”

Seungmin was about to ask why when everything clicked together. “Oh my God, Innie, I had no idea,” he said, “I’m so sorry this happens today of all days.”

“Happy birthday to me,” Jeongin said listlessly, “fourteen feels great.”

Seungmin tightened his grip ever so slightly. “I’m so sorry,” he mumbled for what felt like the millionth time. 

“No, it’s not your fault,” Jeongin said, “there’s just nothing that will ever make this an okay day for me. Nothing can fix what happened, short of bringing my parents back.”

“We can pick a different day to celebrate your birthday, but let’s worry about that when you’re feeling better,” Seungmin said, “for now just relax and focus on you.”

“It doesn’t matter what day we choose to celebrate it,” Jeongin said, “it’s always going to be a reminder that my family is gone. God, I need some tissues.”

Seungmin let go of Jeongin just long enough to retrieve some tissues from his desk. He sat back down on the bed and handed Jeongin the tissues and wrapped a gentle arm around his boyfriend. They had an anniversary they could celebrate instead, but Seungmin would wait to bring that up a different day.

Jeongin mopped at his face with the tissues, feeling a little embarrassed. No one but Jacob had ever seen him cry like that before. There was a reason he avoided talking about his parents.

Seungmin let Jeongin take a couple tissues from the box before putting it back on his desk. He wrapped both arms around his boyfriend and pulled him closer. “I’m never gonna let you go through anything like this again,” he promised.

Jeongin laughed at that. “It’s gonna happen every year,” he said, “I don’t need you to stop it from happening, I just need you to be here when it does.”

“I’ll be here,” Seungmin promised, “no matter what, I’ll be here for you.” Jeongin had to go through so much of his life alone and Seungmin couldn’t let that happen anymore.

Jeongin sniffled and wiped his nose again. “I should probably let Jacob know where I am,” he mumbled.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Seungmin asked. He would understand if Jeongin wanted to go spend some time with Jacob, but he didn’t want the boy to be alone. 

“I’ll probably end up going to bed in my own room,” Jeongin said, “so it’s up to you. You really don’t need to if you’d rather go to class; I’m just gonna be a downer today.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I already told you, I’m not leaving you alone today unless you need some space. Other than that we can spend the rest of the day cuddling in whatever bed you want,” he said.

Jeongin smiled. Seungmin really was so amazing. He couldn’t believe that a person like him was actually into him. “Let’s go find Jacob then,” he said, sitting up with a groan.

Seungmin stood up and helped Jeongin to stand as well. He wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s waist and guided him further downstairs to the Slytherin common room. He had spent enough time down here that he knew the password and let them both in. 

Jeongin was glad to find Jacob still in his room, because it meant they didn’t have to go hunting through the castle for him. As soon as he saw the older boy, he found himself all but running over and hugging him tightly.

“Hi, Innie,” Jacob said quietly. He didn’t need to ask why there were tear tracks on the boy’s cheeks and he simply hugged the boy back. Seungmin stood awkwardly in the doorway, not really sure what to do with himself. “You can come in, Seungmin,” Jacob said gently. With a small nod, Seungmin stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

“I’m sorry if I made you worried,” Jeongin mumbled, voice muffled in Jacob’s shoulder. 

Jacob glanced up at Seungmin. “It’s okay. I knew if you weren’t here that you would be in good hands,” he said. Seungmin blushed and turned his head down.

“I’m more sad than normal this year,” Jeongin mumbled, “I dunno why. I just really miss them right now.”

Jacob sighed and moved to sit down on his bed, dragging Jeongin into his lap. “That’s okay, Innie. Changbin has strict instructions to stay away so he won’t be bothering you today,” he said.

“I wish I had Minho back,” Jeongin said quietly, not wanting Seungmin to overhear, “he always used to know how to make me feel better.”

Jacob sighed again. “Maybe that’s what’s making this year harder,” he said quietly.

“Honestly? I think it’s because I met Minnie’s dad,” Jeongin mumbled, “we were talking about telling his dad last night and I just got really sad because I don’t have a dad to tell.”

“You still have me,” Jacob said, trying to offer some semblance of comfort, “and I’m sure Seungmin would understand if you asked him not to talk about his dad. He doesn’t seem like he would intentionally hurt you so it’s okay to tell him when he does something that makes you upset.”

“I just don’t want him to think that he can’t talk about his dad ever,” Jeongin said, “his dad’s fantastic and he should be able to talk about him. It’s not his fault that I’m sad. And I love you, hyung, and I know I call you dad all the time, but it’s just...not the same.”

Jacob smiled sadly, his arm rubbing up and down Jeongin’s back. “Just make sure you tell him when it gets to be too much. Like yesterday. I know he’d understand,” he said. He glanced up and saw Seungmin still standing by the door. “You can come sit down,” he said gently. Seungmin jumped, not expecting Jacob to address him, and slowly walked across the room to sit on Jacob’s trunk.

“I just wish there was an easy way to make it better,” Jeongin said with a heavy sigh. He would give anything to have his parents back again.

“I know, Jeongin, I know,” Jacob said sadly, “I wish Minho was here to make this easier for you.” Seungmin flinched and turned his head down at the mention of the older boy’s name. 

Jeongin sighed and hugged Jacob again before finally standing up and reaching for Seungmin’s hand. “I think we’re gonna go lay down for a bit,” he said. He hadn’t missed the way his boyfriend had reacted to his former best friend’s name.

“I’ll be in here when I don’t have class if you need me,” Jacob said. Seungmin stood as well and grabbed onto Jeongin’s hand. He followed his boyfriend out of Jacob’s room and across the common room.

Jeongin was glad that none of his roommates were around. They had been a lot nicer to him as of late, but he still didn’t really want any of them seeing him in this state. With a heavy sigh, he pulled Seungmin into his bed.

Seungmin easily let Jeongin pull him into bed. He wrapped himself completely around his boyfriend and held on like his life depended on it. 

“Thank you for staying,” Jeongin said quietly, “I know it’s a lot to handle.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll lay here for days,” Seungmin said. He hated seeing Jeongin upset and he would do anything to make his boyfriend feel better. 

“You’re so amazing,” Jeongin whispered, “what did I do to deserve you?”

“You’re you,” Seungmin said simply, “everyone deserves someone who’s going to devote the time to what they need.”

Jeongin felt himself flushing. “Naptime,” he announced, flustered. He wrapped himself around Seungmin, burying them both in blankets, and let himself fall asleep.

Jisung was too nervous to go anywhere near the Hufflepuff common room so he waited until the boys were eating lunch together in the Great Hall one day. He hesitantly approached the table, hands clasped together. “Can I...talk to you guys for a minute?” he asked. 

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. It had been a rough few weeks for them all, between Chan and Jacob not talking and Jeongin clearly not being okay, and he wasn’t in the mood for Jisung’s bullshit. “Make it quick,” he said sharply.

Jisung took a step back and turned his head down. “I just wanted to apologize for being an ass,” he said, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately and I owe you all an apology.”

“Oh,  _ now _ you want to apologize?” Hyunjin asked sarcastically, “apologize to Jeongin and then maybe I’ll believe you.”

“I ca-,” Jisung paused, “Hyunjin, please, I miss you guys a lot and I know I’ve been really harsh to all of you.”

“You've been much worse to Jeongin,” Hyunjin replied, “and for much longer. He’s here for good, whether you like it or not, so you might as well get over yourself and apologize.”

Jisung frowned. He wasn’t ready to apologize to Jeongin, not yet, but he couldn’t admit that to Hyunjin. “I’ll work on it, but I just wanted to apologize to you guys first,” he said quietly. He had nothing left to say so he turned from the table to go back to his own.

“Don’t apologize to us until you apologize to the person you’ve actually been a dick to,” Hyunjin called after him.

Jisung bypassed his own table in favor of leaving the Great Hall altogether. He wasn’t sure why he had thought apologizing to his friends would have gone better. Maybe he should talk to Chan instead. 

Chan was in the library, studying for a Transfiguration exam. He wasn’t exactly avoiding Jacob; it was just that Jacob hadn’t tried to find him. Apparently, they really were over. 

Jisung didn’t dare go to the Hufflepuff or Slytherin dorms to look for Chan, but luckily he didn’t have to. He found the older boy at a back table in the library, pouring over his notes. Hesitantly he walked over and stood next to the table. “Hey, hyung, do you...do you have a minute?” he asked quietly. 

Chan looked up and sighed when he saw Jisung standing there. “Sure, kiddo,” he said, “what’s going on?”

Jisung clasped his shaking hands together and rocked back on his heels. “I just wanted to apologize for how I’ve been acting lately,” he said, “I’m sorry if this is a bad time.”

“Thank you, Jisung,” Chan said, “but you know I’m not the one you really need to apologize to, right?”

Jisung nodded. “I know, but I can’t do it. Not yet anyway,” he mumbled. 

“What’s holding you back?” Chan asked. He kicked out the chair across from him, gesturing for Jisung to sit.

Jisung took a hard seat and wrapped his arms around himself. “I just can’t trust him yet. And I know it’s not his fault what his family did, but I can’t let it go yet,” he said. 

“How much do you really know about what happened to Jeongin?” Chan asked, closing his book and setting it aside. 

Jisung tightened his arms. “I know that his family is full of monsters, except for apparently his parents,” he said, “which I don’t entirely buy but whatever.”

“Jacob’s told me a fair bit about them,” Chan said, “they wanted to raise Jeongin away from all of that. In fact, they didn’t really want to have kids at all, so that it would end with them, but they got pregnant and decided to do the best that they could. That’s the reason that his uncle attacked them; he was trying to bring Jeongin back into it after they had kept him away for five years. Jeongin’s parents weren’t saints by any means, but they were doing their best to be good people, Sung.”

Jisung sighed. “That doesn’t mean he won’t go back,” he said, “what if something happens and he goes off the wall like Minho and hurts Seungmin? And I know you all trust him, but it’s really hard to after everything his family has done.”

“Would you go back to the thing that had killed your family?” Chan asked gently, “Cobi has said that one of the only things he really remembers about his parents was how adamantly they were against all of that and how much they emphasized how bad it was. He’s had plenty of opportunities in the last three years to go off the wall and he hasn’t. I know it’s hard to separate what you’ve been told from what you experience but it would make Seungmin really happy if you at least tried. No one’s saying you have to trust him; we just want you to try and make peace.”

“No, I wouldn’t, which is why I don’t want anything to do with him,” Jisung said sadly, “maybe he really isn’t like his family. And maybe he really is good to Minnie, but not even Hyunjin wants my apology, so why would he?”

“All Jeongin wants is for Seungmin to be happy, and Seungmin isn’t happy with you two fighting,” Chan said, “as for Hyunjin, I think he’s more concerned because you’ve gotten this belief from Yugyeom. What would you say about him if you didn’t know him first?”

Jisung paused. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly, “he’s not dangerous so I wouldn’t have hated him, but I don’t know what I would have believed about him.” He hated to think how Yugyeom could have skewed what he thought of Hyunjin if he hadn’t met the Hufflepuff first. 

“Exactly,” Chan said, “the way Yugyeom swayed your opinion about Jeongin scares him, I think. The idea of any of us thinking about him the way Yugyeom does makes him very anxious.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him, or even Seungmin,” Jisung said in a small voice, “but even if I try to apologize again he won’t listen until I talk to Jeongin and I can’t do that until I hang out with you guys again. But I can’t do that right now either.” This entire year had been a disaster and he wanted nothing more than for it to be over. 

“You could go look for Jeongin the same way you looked for me,” Chan suggested, “I’m sure he would prefer something less public anyway. Or come to chess on Friday. My invite.”

Jisung shook his head. “I can’t come to chess. I don’t think Felix wants me around either and I don’t blame him,” he said, “I’ll find Jeongin on my own. Not today, but I will.” 

“Felix isn’t mad at you,” Chan said, “a little hurt maybe, but he knows what you said was a visceral reaction. I don’t think he intended to confess to you to begin with.”

“I was still mean to him,” Jisung said sadly. He stood up and pushed the chair back in. “I think I need to be away from everyone for a little longer. I’ll try and find Jeongin to apologize, but I don’t know when I’ll come back. Thanks for listening, hyung, and just make sure everyone knows I’m not mad at them for me.”

“Alright, Sungie,” Chan said with a sigh, “stay safe, kiddo.”

Jisung didn’t respond. He walked out of the library, not sure where he should go. He wished it wasn’t so cold out or he would take a walk down to the pitch, but instead he wandered around the castle, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Jeongin. 

On Friday, Seungmin found himself walking back from the thestrals alone. Jeongin was in bed with a fever, so it had just been him and Jackson for the night. He was almost halfway up the lawn when something caught the corner of his eye. 

Now that the man had threatened his sister, Minho knew he had to do something. There was no way he would be able to directly approach Jeongin and convince him to come with him so he turned to the next best idea: Seungmin. He watched the Hufflepuff closely and when he passed by, Minho sent his Patronus to lure the boy towards him. 

Seungmin turned toward the silver glow and found a small cat standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He didn’t know much about Patronuses, but he knew they were usually only sent when someone was in trouble so, with a final glance at the castle, he followed the cat into the woods. 

Minho smiled happily when Seungmin took the bait. He walked deeper into the woods to the clearing and waited for the boy to join him. He spun his wand between his fingers.

Seungmin lit his wand, expanding the light from the Patronus. “Hello?” he called, “is anyone there?”

“Oh, Seungmin, just the Hufflepuff I wanted to see,” Minho said when the boy stepped into the clearing, “and before you go getting any ideas to be brave just remember, you never know what’s hiding in the shadows.”

“M-Minho,” Seungmin said, taking a step back, “I thought we were done with this?”

“Oh we’re almost done. At least if you decide to cooperate with me,” Minho said, “my last attempt to get Jeongin back didn’t go as planned, but now that I have you here I’m sure he’ll come running. Where is he anyway? You two are practically attached at the hips these days, I’m surprised he let you out of his sight.”

“He’s sick,” Seungmin said slowly, “in bed with a fever. Asleep, last I saw him.”

Minho hummed. “What a shame. Too bad you won’t be going back to see him anytime soon. I’m sure he’d get out of bed rather quickly when he realizes you’re missing,” he sneered. 

“What are you going to do to me?” Seungmin asked nervously. He slowly lowered his wand, trying to think of a spell that could get him out of this. 

“Depends on what you’re willing to do to help me. If you can get Jeongin here quickly, I’ll let you go relatively unharmed, but if you try to escape or get help, I’ll kill you,” Minho threatened. He tightened his grip on his wand.

“I don’t know what you want me to do,” Seungmin said, “Jeongin’s in the castle, asleep. The only way I can go get him is if you let me leave.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Minho spat, “I guess we’ll just have to wait until he wakes up and comes looking for you. In the meantime, I’d love to catch up.” He smiled wickedly at Seungmin. He didn’t even care how long it would take until Jeongin found them, he had Seungmin and that was more than enough for him.

Jeongin woke up with a gasp and a groan. His body ached so much. “Minnie?” He mumbled, glancing around. He was in the Hufflepuff’s bed, waiting for him to return from feeding the thestrals. A glance at the bedside clock showed that it was nearly midnight and Seungmin was nowhere to be seen. Something was wrong. Jeongin tumbled out of bed, grabbing his glasses and wand and shoving his feet in Seungmin’s shoes before rushing out of the room. Something was wrong. 

“So tell me, how did you convince that miserable brat to go out with you? Love potion? A hex? Or did you just lie to him and tell him you liked him?” Minho asked. He began pacing back and forth across the clearing, careful to keep a close eye on Seungmin.

“I do like him,” Seungmin said stonily. He had long since taken a seat on a rock, keeping an eye on Minho. Jeongin panted as he sprinted across the grounds toward Jackson’s hut. He skidded to a stop when he saw a silver cat circling near the edge of the Forest. He knew that Patronus.  _ Minho _ . 

Minho barked out a laugh. “Maybe you were the one who was hexed instead,” he commented, “in any case, your lover boy will be here soon and if I were you I’d start preparing your goodbyes.”

“Minho!” Jeongin roared as he stormed into the clearing, “You leave him alone!”

Minho smiled and turned to face the younger Slytherin. “Now, Jeongin, that isn’t really anyway to greet me is it,” he said, not phrasing it as a question, “and if I were you, I wouldn’t go around making demands. You might make things worse than they need to be.” He pointed his wand directly at Seungmin.

Jeongin stepped in front of Seungmin, wand raised. “Minnie, go back to the castle,” he said, “find Jacob.”

“How cute. I’ve never seen you so protective before,” Minho mused, “unfortunately, Seungmin knows the price if he tries to leave. But if you want your boyfriend to ever be able to return to the castle again, all you have to do is come with me.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Seungmin whispered harshly, “we can take him down if we work together.” Slowly, he moved his wand behind his back. Taking a deep breath, he muttered the spell under his breath, sending a Jack Russell puppy up to the castle. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Minho caught a glint of light dashing through the trees away from them. Between that and the whispers, he knew the boys were trying to plot something. “ _ Expelliarmus _ ,” he said, effectively disarming Jeongin. He grabbed the boy’s wand out of the air and shoved it into his pocket. “Now, I’m not here to waste time, either you come with me now or Seungmin faces the consequences and I take you by force. Choose wisely.”

“Why are you doing this?” Jeongin asked, holding his hands out in surrender, “I haven’t done anything to you, and neither has Seungmin.”

“The point isn’t revenge, it’s to get you back,” Minho said, “I really don’t want to hurt you, but if you continue to stall, I’ll have no choice. I’m going to ask one last time: are you coming with me the easy way or the hard way?”

“Get me back how?” Jeongin asked, “get me back for what? Minho, that’s what revenge  _ is _ .”

Minho heard footsteps behind him and smirked at the two younger boys. “I don’t think you understand, Jeongin,” he said, “we want you to come back to us.” The cloaked man came to stand beside Minho, wand in hand. “Hello, Jeongin,” he greeted with a devilish smile on his face, “it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”


	21. Chapter 21

Jeongin felt his face go white. “Seungmin, you have to go _now_ ,” he said quietly, trying to push his boyfriend back toward the trees. “He’s a Death Eater, he’ll kill you.”

Seungmin didn’t want to leave Jeongin, but he knew he had to warn Jacob. He turned around and took off for the castle, but Minho was one step ahead of him. “ _ Sectumsempra _ ,” he said, smiling to himself as Seungmin collapsed to the ground with a scream of pain. “I warned you not to try to escape.”

“What did you do to him?” Jeongin yelled, directing the question at his uncle. He wasn’t asking about Seungmin though. He was asking about Minho. Now that he knew his uncle was involved, he knew Minho wasn’t doing this by choice.

“I think you have bigger things to worry about then Minho right now,” the Death Eater replied, directing his gaze to Seungmin. “I can save him, but I’ll only do it if you come with us. You need to choose quickly though, he could be dead within minutes.” Seungmin pressed a hand against the worst gash on his side, but it did nothing to stop the bleeding. Every incision stung and the pain was growing more and more unbearable with every passing second. “Innie,” he whimpered weakly. He was terrified beyond belief and he just wanted his boyfriend.

“You’re crazy if you think I’ll ever go anywhere with you!” Jeongin yelled, “I’m not leaving Seungmin!” He wished he could help his boyfriend, but he needed to protect him first. Hopefully, Jacob and Chan would arrive soon.

Minho’s patience had run out. He had bargained with Jeongin, threatened him, and even rendered his boyfriend incapacitated, but the boy still refused. “Maybe this will convince you,” he said, raising his wand again. “ _ Crucio _ !” Jeongin’s uncle laid a heavy hand on Minho’s shoulder. “Be sure not to torture him for too long, we need him in one piece,” he warned.

Jeongin screamed, he knew he did, loud and high. It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life, like he was being pulled cell from cell. When Minho finally lifted the curse, Jeongin collapsed to the ground in a heaving, sobbing heap. 

“I’m done playing games, Jeongin,” Minho said angrily. He stalked over to Jeongin, grabbed the boy by the arm, and all but dragged him over to his uncle. “I gave you the chance to make everything easier and you just couldn’t take it could you? Now your precious Seungmin is going to die and you’re never going to get the chance to say goodbye.”

Jeongin stared up at Minho with pure, unbridled fear in his eyes. “I’ll do whatever you want,” he said, voice no louder than a whisper, “just please don’t let him die.”

Jeongin’s uncle smiled and he walked towards Seungmin. He had only taken a few steps when a stray spell whizzed by him. He turned in the direction it had come from and fired his own curse. 

Jacob didn’t really have a plan. He had rushed after a patronus into the Forbidden Forest and found Jeongin and Minho in a clearing with a Death Eater and the only thing on his mind was saving his friends. He winced when the spell he had cast sailed harmlessly by the Death Eater and his eyes widened when the man turned towards him. “ _ Protego _ !” he cried, protecting himself from the onslaught of spells. He ducked behind a tree and waited for a moment under the cover of the darkness. He tried firing another couple spells again but he was scared to do much else when he couldn’t see. He didn’t want to risk hurting Minho or Jeongin. He had lost the element of surprise now so he had to figure out a different way to defeat the Death Eater. Jacob knew he would never win a duel so he had to be cunning. A loud crack sounded above him as bark flew in all directions from the force of the last curse that hit it. Jacob cast another protection spell and rushed behind a new tree. He leaned against this tree, panting heavily as spells continued to fly past him. He knew that being able to apparate across the clearing would catch the Death Eater off guard, but it was too risky to try that, lest something go wrong and he be rendered useless. Jacob sat stock still for a moment. He had another idea but he wasn’t sure if it would work. He flinched when a curse flew dangerously close to him. He quietly cast a disillusionment charm and waited for the right moment.

When everything went quiet Jacob took a deep breath and leapt out from behind the tree to cast another spell. Immediately, he rushed to the other side of the clearing. He waited for a moment to make sure the Death Eater had lost him and aimed his wand again. Jacob narrowed his eyes when the man whirled to face him, head swinging back and forth as he tried to figure out where Jacob went. “ _ Stupefy _ !” Jacob yelled, The spell hit the Death Eater square in the chest, sending him flying backwards and onto the cold ground. Minho’s body slumped when the curse on him was suddenly lifted and he released his hold on Jeongin. He stumbled back a few steps before his knees gave out on him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Minho whimpered quietly and clutched at his head. Jacob kept his wand pointed at the Death Eater and rushed over to Jeongin. He carefully pulled the boy a safe distance away. “Are you okay?” he asked, eyes darting back and forth between the unconscious man and Jeongin. Seeing his hands made him realize that the charm was already beginning to wear off. Jacob was glad that it had lasted just long enough.

Jeongin couldn’t answer; he simply started sobbing. “S-Seungmin,” he choked out, “you h-have to help Seungmin.”

Jacob turned around and rushed over to Seungmin. He made sure to face the Death Eater and Minho, in case either of them tried to do something, but they both remained still. He lit his wand and raised it so he could see what had happened. He sucked in a breath when he saw Seungmin’s robes soaked with blood and a small crimson pool surrounding his body. “It’s going to be okay, Seungmin,” Jacob assured, but the boy didn’t respond. “Jeongin, go up the castle and get the first professor you can find to come down here and see if they can get the Headmaster too. Don’t let any other students come down here.” He put all of his concentration into healing the cuts that covered Seungmin’s body, hoping and pleading to himself that he wasn’t too late. 

Jeongin somehow managed to pull himself to his feet and stumble off into the woods, still sobbing. He didn’t know how he made it to the castle, but he managed to run right into Professor Kang in the entrance hall. “Seungmin’s really hurt, he needs help,” he gasped out, “please, my...my uncle’s here, in the Forest.” “Alert the Headmaster then go to the hospital wing,” Professor Kang ordered, already running toward the lawn.

Minho groaned and pulled himself to his feet. “Don’t move!” Jacob yelled. Minho startled and stared wide eyed across the clearing. He lit his wand and gasped when he saw Jacob crouched over someone lying unconscious on the ground. “Hyung, w-what’s going on?” he asked shakily. Jacob eyed his friend warily. Did Minho really not remember what had happened?

Jeongin informed the Headmaster what was happening and was practically hyperventilating when he finally made it to the hospital wing. Youngjae didn’t even ask questions; he immediately gave Jeongin a Draught of Peace and confined him to a bed. Jeongin struggled against him for a moment, wanting to go make sure Seungmin was okay, but the potion soon kicked in and he was out like a light.

Minho turned and gasped when he saw the cloaked man on the ground a little ways away. He rushed towards Jacob, but froze in his tracks when the older boy yelled at him to stop and stay back. He stared at Jacob with big eyes; he had never heard him raise his voice before and it terrified him. What had he done?

Younghyun rushed through the woods until he found the clearing. The Head Boy crouched over the body of a bleeding student, while Lee Minho stood frozen and the body of Yang Jeongin’s uncle lay sprawled on the other side of the clearing. The Headmaster could deal with him. Right now, Younghyun’s priority was Seungmin. “What happened?” he asked Jacob as he crouched next to the boy.

Jacob heaved a sigh of relief when Professor Kang appeared next to him. “It looks like Sectumsempra,” he replied shakily, “I-I don’t know how to reverse it, but I’ve been doing my best to stop the bleeding.” It took Minho a moment to realize that he must have done this. He threw his wand away and backed away from Seungmin quickly. “I’m so sorry,” he cried out.

Younghyun glanced behind him at Minho. “Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere; the Headmaster is on his way,” he ordered, “I’ll take care of Seungmin.” Fortunately, the creator of Sectumsempra was smart enough to create a countercurse as well, which Younghyun cast. It didn’t close or heal the wounds, but it at least stopped the bleeding. “Seungmin-ah, can you hear me?” he asked.

Jacob stood in front of Seungmin and kept his wand pointed at Minho. Seungmin whimpered pitifully in response to his name. He had no idea who was kneeling above him, but at least the pain was slowly starting to subside a bit.

The Headmaster arrived at that moment. “I’m going to move Seungmin to the hospital wing,” Younghyun said, standing up, “I’m not quite sure what happened, but Jacob should be able to fill you in.” With that, he levitated Seungmin’s body off the ground and started guiding him toward the castle. 

“I-I don’t really know what was going. Seungmin was already on the ground and they had Jeongin. I wasn’t really thinking when I rushed in here,” Jacob said shakily. He really didn’t have a good handle on the situation but at least everyone was okay. “And Minho’s been really confused and even apologized,” he added, dropping his voice.

“Mr. Lee, what are you apologizing for?” Sungjin questioned sternly. “I-I don’t know,” Minho said weakly, “Jeongin and Seungmin got hurt and I think I hurt them.” “You think? How do you not know?” Sungjin asked. “I-I just...don’t remember,” Minho whimpered. “What is the last thing you do remember?” Minho had to think pretty hard before coming up with an answer. “The first Quidditch match of the year,” he said finally. “Mr. Bae, please escort Mr. Lee up to the infirmary. Your Head of House will meet you there.”

Jacob nodded in response. He picked up Minho’s discarded wand and handed it to the Headmaster. “Let’s go,” he said, his own wand still drawn. Minho turned his head down and followed Jacob up to the castle, making no sound except for the occasional sob that slipped past his lips. 

Youngjae had never been more glad to have an apprentice. In his time as the head of the infirmary, he’d never had so many serious injuries at once. Even Jeongin, despite being asleep and out of the way now, had clear signs of having been tortured, which they would have to deal with when he woke up. Then there was Seungmin, sliced up beyond belief. There was no direct cure for Sectumsempra, but Youngjae was able to stem the bleeding and knit the skin back together. The scars would never go away though. When Jacob Bae and Lee Minho showed up, trailed by Professor Park Jinyoung, Youngjae immediately ordered them both into beds. 

“Sir, I’m not hurt. I’d rather help you make sure everyone is okay than lay in a bed unnecessarily,” Jacob said politely. Sure he was a little shaken up, but making sure his friends were okay was much more important right now. 

“Why don’t you tell me how all of this happened?” Youngjae asked as he fixed up two doses of Draught of Peace. Jacob was very clearly in shock. 

“I was sitting in my room when a Patronus I’ve never seen before came bursting in. It must have been Seungmin’s, now that I think about it. I followed it all the way into the Forbidden Forest and there was a Death Eater and Minho and they had Jeongin and Seungmin was already on the ground. I-I don’t really know what happened, I just reacted...I just wanted to get Jeongin and Seungmin away from them and now here we are,” Jacob rambled.

“Alright, drink up,” Youngjae said, handing both boys a cup of potion, “we can talk some more once the Headmaster arrives. Your friends will be fine so just relax.”

Minho sniffed and obediently drank the potion. He handed the cup back and went to lay in a bed. He was desperately trying to remember what happened, but it wasn’t working. “Please, sir, I’m really okay,” Jacob assured, “I want to be awake in case something else happens and you need me.” He usually wasn’t this resistant, but as Head Boy he felt obligated to make sure everything stayed calm from now on.

“It wasn’t a suggestion,” Youngjae said firmly, “I’m a professor and it’s an order. I can send for Mr. Bang to watch over everyone if you’d like.”

Jacob paused. “I’m sure he’d want to make sure Seungmin’s okay,” he said. It wasn’t really an agreement, but it was better than arguing. He drank the potion, wrinkling his nose at the taste, and went to lay down.

Youngjae sent a Patronus to fetch Chan, who came as quickly as he could. He fussed over Jacob for a few minutes, making sure his boyfriend (maybe) was comfortable before going to check on Seungmin and Jeongin. He hated that he had been right. 

Jacob was surprised that Chan was so worried about him, but he was grateful nonetheless. He was growing tired quickly and the last thing he noticed before he fell asleep was Minho’s sleeping form, curled up in a ball, with tear tracks running down his cheeks. 

About an hour later, Sungjin and Jaewook finally made their way up the infirmary. A team of Aurors had remanded Jeongin’s uncle to Azkaban, to a maximum security cell designed to prevent another escape. Jaewook had stayed behind to check on his sons and speak with Lee Minho. Who, surprisingly, was awake when they arrived.

Minho’s eyes widened when he saw the Headmaster and the head of the Auror department approach his bed. He knew they were going to ask him what happened, but he really didn’t remember anything.

“Minho, is it alright if I give you a little Veritaserum and talk to you about what happened tonight?” Jaewook asked carefully, “I fully believe what Headmaster Park says you said, but I need the confirmation for the Wizengamot.”

Minho nodded and reached for the potion that Jaewook held out, downing it in one go. He wasn’t sure how much he would be able to tell them, but anything was better than nothing. “Are Jeongin and Seungmin okay?” he asked, looking up at the Headmaster.

“Yes, they’re both going to be absolutely fine,” Jaewook informed him, “now, Sungjin tells me you don’t remember anything before Jacob knocked Jeongin’s uncle unconscious. Is this true?”

Minho relaxed a little bit. He nodded in response. “I tried to, I promise, but I don’t remember anything before Jacob hyung came, just little flashes,” he said sadly. 

“That’s okay,” Jaewook soothed, “I need you to describe to me the last thing you  _ do  _ remember in detail.”

Minho paused for a moment to think back. “The first Quidditch match of the season,” he said, “I was heading down to the pitch early to make sure everything was all set and...and that’s really all I remember.” He knew it wasn’t much, but it was all he had. 

“Do you remember seeing anyone? Anyone following you?” Jaewook asked. 

Minho closed his eyes and did his best to think back. “No one followed me, but…” his eyes flew open again, “but there was something at the edge of the Forest. I don’t know what it was. It wasn’t a person or a Patronus, but I got curious and started following it. I stopped when I got to the tree line and that’s it. I don’t remember going back to the pitch or how the match went.” 

“That means even the attempted attack on Jisung wasn’t his doing,” Sungjin murmured. Jaewook hummed. “Minho, I’m going to use a spell now that can show me any Dark magic that may have been cast on you recently,” he explained, lifting and waving his wand. Immediately, red and black flooded out of Minho. 

Minho barely registered what the Headmaster said before he was surrounded by a cloud of red and black. He scrambled back in his bed as far as he could. When the air finally cleared, he stared up at the Headmaster and Auror, trying to understand what was going on. 

Jaewook sighed heavily. This was simultaneously what he had feared and what he had hoped for. “Minho, you’ve been Imperiused,” he said gently, “for close to six months.” 

“S-Six months?” Minho stuttered out, “h-how? Oh my God, what have I done?” He hid his head in his hands and sobbed quietly. He had been the one to hurt Jeongin and Seungmin in the forest and who knew what else he had done in that time.

Jaewook didn’t want to tell Minho, but he knew it would be better finding out from him than the Wizengamot. He waited for Sungjin to give them some privacy. “When you were preparing for the game that day, you were attacked and Imperiused by Jeongin’s uncle. Under his control, you attempted to hurt Han Jisung and ended up hurting Bang Chan instead, bullied and harassed Kim Seungmin, isolated yourself, and then tonight, you lured Seungmin into the woods in order to get to Jeongin, attacked Seungmin, tortured Jeongin, and were released from the curse when Jacob incapacitated your attacker. I’m so sorry, Minho.”

Minho was completely overwhelmed. He didn’t know how all of this could have happened. He never wanted to hurt anyone, especially his friends, and yet here he was. Even though he was under the Imperius curse, he knew there had to be more to why he would go through with all of this. “My sister,” he choked out. He picked his head up and looked up at the Auror as the hazy memory came into his mind. “H-He threatened my sister. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t want him to hurt her.”

“It’s okay, Minho,” Jaewook said, “no one’s blaming you. Everything that happened was out of your control and will only mean a harsher sentence for Jeongin’s uncle. I do have another question, or really more of a request. Jacob said that Jeongin was unarmed when he arrived. Do you perhaps have his wand? We couldn’t find it anywhere.”

Minho stuck his hand in his pocket and was unsurprised to find a wand in it. He sniffed and handed Jeongin’s wand over to the Auror. He didn’t know where his own was, but he wasn’t worried. He didn’t deserve to get his wand back and he could only hope it was smashed to pieces somewhere. 

Jaewook took Jeongin’s wand and pulled Minho’s out of his pocket, setting it on the bedside table. “We’re going to have the three of you transferred to St. Mungo’s in the morning,” he explained, “your friends will be able to visit you there. I’ll have Youngjae bring you another dose of Peace, alright?”

Minho drew his hands back like he had been burned and held them against his chest. “Get that away from me!” he cried, staring at his wand, “keep everyone away from me. I-I’m dangerous and I can’t hurt anyone else!”

Jaewook watched Minho sadly. “You’re not dangerous, kiddo,” he said, “the only dangerous one is Yang, and he’s long gone, back to Azkaban. Nothing you did was your fault or your choice, and you and I both know that you would’ve never done those things if you had the ability to choose.”

Minho pulled his knees to his chest and forced himself to look back up at the Auror. “I  _ hurt  _ people. Even if it wasn’t my choice, I still did it,” he said thickly, “I-I should have done something. I should have told someone, but I didn’t. I could have killed someone if Jacob hyung didn’t come on time.” His shoulders shook and he hid his face in his knees. 

“Oftentimes, the curse won’t allow you to tell anyone,” Jaewook explained, “by avoiding everyone and delaying the inevitable, you did everything you could, alright?”

Minho didn’t lift his head. “B-But it w-wasn’t enough,” he choked out, “I-I’m so s-sorry.” He didn’t know what to do or even what to think. 

“No one died,” Jaewook said, “Seungmin and Jeongin are both going to be okay. You didn’t hurt Jisung and Chan’s injury is already long gone. This isn’t your fault. If anything, it’s the Ministry’s fault. We knew that Yang had escaped and the Minister ordered us to keep it quiet. Even Jeongin and the Headmaster weren’t informed, because the Minister ignored our warnings and said Jeongin would be safe at school, that Yang would try to recruit first. I should have pushed harder to tell the truth, and that’s on me, Minho, not you.”

Minho sniffed and glanced up at the Auror through blurry eyes. “W-What’s gonna happen now?” he asked shakily. 

“Yang is being held under constant surveillance until the trial. We would like you to testify, so it won’t be held until you’re ready. You, Seungmin, and Jeongin will be transferred to St. Mungo’s in the morning to be sure that there’s no lasting damage and all of your parents will be notified, as will your friends. They’ll be able to visit you over the weekends until you’re released. We’re going to inform them all of what happened and the fact that you were cursed. Yang will be returned to Azkaban no matter what; the trial is just to see how long they’ll be extending his sentence. If you don’t want to testify in person, I can extract the memory of this conversation and use that, but I need your express and undrugged permission to do that. Other than that, you’ll be free to continue your life and your schooling once you’re released from the hospital.”

“I can testify,” Minho said quietly, he owed at least that to everyone he had hurt, “but I don’t want to come back here after.”

“That’s a discussion to have with your parents, not with me,” Jaewook said smoothly. The curtain enclosing the bed moved and Youngjae entered with another portion of the Draught of Peace. “Drink up, Minho, c’mon,” he said softly, handing the cup to the boy. Jaewook stood up, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Get some sleep,” he said, “we’ll talk more in the morning.” In the meantime, he had his own sons to attend to. 

Minho took the cup with shaky hands and drank it. He handed the cup back to Youngjae before curling up in a ball, back to his bedside table. His mind was running away with him trying to process everything that happened and he could barely keep up. 

Once Minho was asleep, Jaewook stepped around the curtain to where Jacob was laying. His son was still asleep, but he wasn’t surprised to see Chan sitting next to him, holding his hand. What did surprise him was the lack of a ring on the younger boy’s hand and the dullness of the one on his son’s. It wasn’t the time to address it, however, so he took a seat across from Chan. “How are you holding up?” he asked. “I overheard what Minho said,” Chan said miserably, “Cobi had so much faith in him and I feel horrible for ever doubting him. At the same time, though, he could have killed my friends, whether he meant to or not. I don’t know what to think right now.”

Jacob blinked his eyes open and was greeted with a pounding headache. He had no idea how long he was asleep for and it took him a moment to realize someone was holding his hand. He looked up and mustered a small smile when he saw Chan. “How are the boys?” he asked, not yet noticing his father sitting on his other side. 

“They’re okay,” Chan said, “getting transferred to Mungo’s in the morning. Minho too. They’ll be fine, but they want to make sure there’s no lasting spell damage.”

Jacob nodded and winced when a wave of pain radiated through his head. When he opened his eyes again, he realized his father was sitting next to him. He sat up a little straighter and tightened his grip on Chan’s hand. “I’m so sorry this happened,” he apologized to both men, “I’m really glad Seungmin’s okay ‘cause I was so scared I was too late to help him.”

“There was nothing you could have done,” Jaewook said with a heavy sigh, “you tried to warn me and I had to ignore you. I’m sorry, little bear.”

Jacob’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Had to ignore me? Dad, w-what do you mean?” he asked hesitantly. 

“I was under strict threat-to-my-job orders to keep knowledge of Yang’s escape out of the public. I wasn’t even allowed to tell Jeongin. If I had tried to bring it up to the Minister again, I’m sure I would have been fired. Even your mother doesn’t know,” Jaewook said, hanging his head shamefully. He saw Jeongin as one of his own and it horrified him that this had been allowed to go so far.

Jacob’s eyes widened and he subconsciously tightened his grip on Chan’s hand. “H-He threatened your job? That’s...that’s not fair,” he said, outraged, “I understand not wanting to scare the public, but we could have caught him a long time ago and prevented most of this from happening. How...how could he be so  _ thick? _ ”

“He didn’t think Jeongin would be in any danger at school because he thought Yang would go for recruitment first. Which he did, except he was trying to recruit Jeongin, albeit through force. The Minister was afraid that publicizing it would both scare the public into a frenzy and encourage people to try and find him, either to join or to attempt to duel him,” Jaewook explained, “we tried to convince him it was the wrong move but he wouldn’t have it. It’s why our office has been campaigning to separate from the Ministry for so long. There’s no way he can keep it quiet now, so hopefully things will change.”

Jacob sighed and leaned against the pillows behind him. “I hope so too,” he said, “or else he’s gonna have hell to pay when I get there.” 

“Honestly, I think Minho’s going to have the worst recovery out of the three of them,” Jaewook said heavily, “he’s taking what happened really hard and he just said something about not coming back to school when he’s released from Mungo’s.”

“Not coming back? He has to come back. Maybe not for the rest of this year, but not even next year? When everything calms down, I’m sure he’ll change his mind,” Jacob said. He would have to talk with his friend when he was feeling better.

“He had marks of the Imperius Curse and the Cruciatus Curse all over him,” Jaewook said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in Mungo’s for the rest of the year anyway.”

Jacob sighed sadly. “If I paid closer attention I could have caught this earlier,” he said, “I can’t believe he was hurting for so long and I never thought of the Imperius Curse.”

“It’s hard to detect, even for a seasoned Auror,” Jaewook said in a sad voice, “if you hadn’t knocked Yang out, I don’t know that we ever would have caught it. Even though Minho was the one with a wand raised to Jeongin, you took out Yang first and that was the smartest move you could’ve made, little bear.”

“I didn’t want to hurt Minho,” Jacob admitted, “and I couldn’t even tell it was Yang in the dark. I’m just glad I got there when I did. I don’t want to think about what he would have done to Jeongin. Or what would have happened to Seungmin.”

“You did everything right, Jacob,” Jaewook said, “you should be proud of yourself. You saved lives tonight.” 

Jacob mustered a small smile. He didn’t feel proud of himself, but maybe that would come when everything calmed down. At least he had gotten a taste of what he would be doing if he joined the Auror department, although he hoped his friends would never get wrapped up in something like this again. “Is Innie asleep?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jaewook said, “he was hyperventilating, so Youngjae gave him some Draught of Peace. Gave you some too for the shock. We’ll move them once they’re all awake. For now, I think you two can probably go back to your dormitories. I’ll make sure to send for you before we move anyone.”

Jacob would rather stay and make sure everyone was okay, but he knew he would be no help with his headache. “I’ll be back down in a few hours,” he said. He let go of Chan’s hand for a moment so he could hug his father tightly and climb out of bed. With one last look over his shoulder, he took Chan’s hand again and led the way out of the infirmary. “I’m so sorry Seungmin got hurt,” he said as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone.

“It’s not your fault,” Chan said, “it’s not even Minho’s fault. I’m sorry I told you to give up on him. I was being petty and selfish.”

Jacob stopped and pulled Chan to face him. “You weren’t being petty or selfish. I shouldn’t have ignored you as much as I did. We should have sat down and talked about what to do before it became too much, but now we know for the next time,” he said, “now are you okay?” His eyes traced over Chan’s face. Even though he knew Chan wasn’t physically injured, everything that was happening was a lot to take in.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Chan said, “I was scared out of my mind when Youngjae summoned me, but I’m okay now that I know you’re all safe. I feel awful though; I was so mean about Minho.”

“It’s okay, baby,” Jacob said soothingly, “if I was in your shoes I would have reacted the same way. I’m not mad at you and I know that your kids come first.”

“Do you still have the ring?” Chan asked in a small voice. He felt horrible that he had taken it off at all.

Jacob smiled sadly. “About the ring… It might be easier to explain what happened if you come to my room. I know you want to get back to your kids, but this will only take a second,” he said. 

“I’d rather stay with you actually,” Chan said, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He slipped his hand into Jacob’s and let himself be led to the dungeons. 

Jacob held Chan’s hand tightly and guided him downstairs and to his room. He opened the door quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone so early in the morning. After he shut the door behind them, he walked towards his desk. “When I went to pick the ring up off the table after you left it turned into a pile of d-,” he stopped in his tracks and stared wide-eyed at his desk. Chan’s ring sat exactly where the pile of ash was, looking exactly as it had the day he conjured it. He reached out slowly, expecting it to dissolve into ash again when he touched it, but it didn’t this time. 

“Cobi?” Chan questioned hesitantly, not having seen the ring yet. “Is everything okay?”

Jacob turned back around to face Chan. “When I touched it, it turned into a pile of ash,” he explained, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to fix it but nothing worked. I guess it was just a matter of waiting until you wanted it back. May I?” He reached out his hand for Chan’s.

Chan placed his hand in Jacob’s. “Love magic is a powerful and unexplainable thing,” he said. 

“That it is,” Jacob agreed. He slipped the ring onto Chan’s finger and took a moment to admire it. “I missed you so much. I was so scared that I was going to lose you forever.”

“I missed you too,” Chan said, “I love you so much Jacob, you have no idea.”

Jacob smiled and pulled Chan against him so he could hug his boyfriend tightly. “I love you too. And I promise I’ll pay more attention to you from now on and I won’t let my friends affect our relationship,” he said.

“Hopefully, now that we know what was wrong with Minho, things will be a little easier from here on out,” Chan said.

“I think they will be. I don’t know if I can convince him to come back to school, but I want him to know that what happened wasn’t his fault,” Jacob said. He had really missed the younger boy a lot. 

“It might take some time, but he’ll get there,” Chan said, “and even if he doesn’t come back, I’m sure if we work with him and make sure he finishes out a basic NEWT curriculum at home, the school will be willing to issue a diploma.”

Jacob smiled when Chan said “we.” “Yeah I think they will be, especially after everything he went through,” he said, “but speaking of everything you need some rest because you’re gonna have your hands full with Felix and Hyunjin tomorrow.”

“Oh, god, yeah, Hyunjin’s gonna be inconsolable,” Chan said, “I’m worried for what’ll happen when Jisung finds out. Apparently the attack on him was the first thing Yang had him do.”

Jacob guided Chan over to his bed and took off his own shoes and got changed before laying down. “I hope he’s understanding,” he said, “maybe this’ll help him come around.”

“I don’t know that he will be,” Chan said with a sigh, “Seungmin technically did get hurt because he was around Jeongin. It might just fuel the flames.”

Jacob sighed sadly and opened his arms for Chan. “We’ll break it to him gently and make sure he understands what happened. I know you guys miss him so I hope we can get him back,” he said. 

Chan sighed as he settled into Jacob’s arms. The next few days were going to be rough. 


	22. Chapter 22

In the morning, Chan and Jacob headed up to the infirmary again, where Jeongin, Minho, and Seungmin were getting ready to go to London. Seungmin still looked pale and grey, but he was on his feet, which was a good sign.

Seungmin rushed over to Chan on shaky feet and all but collapsed into his arms. “Are you coming with us?” he asked.

“We were planning on it,” Chan said, glancing at Jacob, “we’re going to meet up with your dad to make sure he can get into St. Mungo’s alright. Is there anything you want from your room before we leave?”

Seungmin thought for a moment. “My notebook. So I can tell my dad I’m okay. And tell Lixie and Hyunjinnie that I’m okay,” he requested. 

“Alright, I’ll be right back, Minnie,” Chan said, “you just sit and relax, okay?” He rushed down to the basement and grabbed Seungmin’s notebook off the desk. He briefly filled Felix and Hyunjin in on what was happening and assured them that Seungmin and Jeongin were okay before returning to the infirmary.

Seungmin turned his attention to Jeongin and leaned heavily on his boyfriend. He was nervous to be going to St. Mungo’s and he hoped they let his dad in without a problem. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Chan came back into the infirmary. 

Chan handed Seungmin his notebook, knowing the boy would want to hold onto it himself. “Alright, because of Seungmin’s injuries, we’re going to be using a Portkey to travel to St. Mungo’s,” Jaewook announced, “we’ll go in two groups so that we aren’t too squished. Jeongin and Seungmin can travel with me and Minho will travel with Jacob and Chan.” He placed two rusty, barely recognizable license plates on the table and told them all to gather around. Jeongin looped an arm around Seungmin’s back, helping to keep him upright.

Seungmin held his notebook tightly with one arm and Jeongin with the other. Minho was also nervous to travel by Portkey, but for entirely different reasons. He had no idea how Chan or even Jacob felt about him at the moment and he was scared to be too close to either of them. 

Chan, Jacob, and Minho all gathered around one of the Portkeys. When it started to glow, they placed their hands on it, holding on tight for the quick trip to London. When they landed, there were a few Ministry wizards there waiting to escort them in. Chan and Jacob separated from the group, loitering outside as they waited for Seungmin’s dad.

Jacob held onto Chan’s hand as they waited for Seungmin’s dad. Soon enough a man not wearing any robes and looking frazzled began to approach them. “Excuse me, are you Kim Seungmin’s father?” Jacob asked. Heechul was surprised to find a few kids waiting for him, but they must have had a pretty good idea of what was going on. “Yes, I am. Where is Minnie? Is he okay?” he asked nervously. “Yes, he’s okay,” Jacob replied, “we’ll bring you to him.” 

“Mr. Kim, I’m Bang Chan, I’m one of Seungmin’s prefects,” Chan said, bowing slightly as he introduced himself, “this is Jacob Bae; he’s the Head Boy. We’re both friends of Seungmin’s. Why don’t we head inside and we can explain a little bit more about what happened last night?”

Heechul wasn’t sure exactly what the titles meant but he remembered Seungmin explaining them to him one day. He followed the boys without protest; he just wanted to make sure his son was okay for himself. “What did they do to my Minnie? All they told me was that there was an attack, but they didn’t give me any details,” he said shakily. 

“Why don’t we go talk somewhere private before we bring you upstairs?” Chan suggested. They managed to sequester a small meeting room on the ground floor and that was when he launched into it. “I don’t know how much Seungmin has told you about Wizarding history, but there used to be this...well, they were essentially a terrorist cell. They were called Death Eaters and they were very against people like myself and Seungmin, who are wizards born from people with no magical blood. They used to be heavily associated with Slytherin House, which is the house that Jacob and Jeongin are in, but they disappeared when their leader was killed seventeen years ago. Most of them were sent to the Wizarding prison, Azkaban, including many of Jeongin’s extended relatives. Jeongin’s entire extended family was very involved with this group and his parents’ attempt to get away from it is what got them killed. Anyway, Jeongin’s uncle escaped Azkaban and was hiding out in the woods that line our campus. There’s an illegal curse that can be used to basically take over someone’s mind and control their thinking and their actions and he kept another student under this curse for a number of months in an attempt to get to Jeongin. Last night, this student was able to apprehend Seungmin in the woods and lure Jeongin out. In the process of Jeongin and Seungmin trying to escape, Seungmin was hit with a curse that cut him up pretty badly. Fortunately, they were able to alert Jacob, one of our defensive professors, and the Headmaster, who were able to intervene and get Seungmin to the castle. He’s completely fine, he should make a full recovery, but they wanted to bring him here for a few days to make sure that there’s no lasting damage from any of the curses, because none of us know what else he may have been hit with.” Chan spit out the whole story in one mouthful, feeling horrible for Seungmin’s dad. If his own parents hadn’t known Jacob’s for so long, he’s sure they would have kept him away from the Wizarding community after his first year of school. It wasn’t exactly the...safest environment.

Heechul listened closely to what had happened, sucking in a breath when Chan told him what had happened to Seungmin. “What exactly do you mean by cut him up?” he asked shakily. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good idea or not if he knew, but he wanted to hear exactly what they did to his son.

“Long, knife-like cuts on his chest and abdomen,” Chan said quietly, “it’s an illegal curse invented nearly fifty years ago by a former Death Eater. It isn’t deadly as long as you stem the bleeding quickly enough, but there can be long-term internal consequences if you don’t catch it fast. I think Professor Kang will be here later; he’s the one that performed the countercurse and stopped the bleeding.”

Heechul bit his lip and blinked away the tears that gathered in his eyes. “I want to thank him when he gets here, but I want to see Minnie first,” he said. 

“Of course, let's head upstairs,” Chan said, standing up and leading the way toward the main staircase. Seungmin, Jeongin, and Minho were on the fourth floor, in the locked spell damage ward. Fortunately, the Headmaster was waiting for them outside, to greet Seungmin’s father and let them into the ward.

Heechul greeted the Headmaster politely and thanked him for helping Seungmin. As soon as he was let into the ward, he rushed over to his son and began fussing. Seungmin sat up when he saw his dad rush over to him. He hugged him tightly and immediately broke down into tears. “It’s okay, Minnie, it’s okay,” Heechul said soothingly, “it’s all over and I’m here now.”

Jeongin had been sitting on the edge of Seungmin’s bed, holding his boyfriend’s hand, but he stood up and backed away when Mr. Kim arrived. He wanted to give the two their privacy.

While Heechul talked with Seungmin and gave his son his own once over, Jacob walked over to Jeongin. He had barely seen the boy since everything calmed down and he wanted to make sure the younger boy was okay. “How are you feeling, Innie?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” Jeongin said, “I’ll be better once Seungmin is better.” He was so anxious that Mr. Kim would be mad at him and ban him from seeing Seungmin altogether. 

Jacob wrapped Jeongin in a hug and held him close. “He’s gonna be okay,” he said confidently. Meanwhile Seungmin was quietly explaining to his dad what happened. “Innie was really brave,” he said at the end, “he stayed in front of me the whole time and the only reason I got hit was ‘cause I tried to run away.” Heechul pulled back from Seungmin so he could turn to Jeongin. “Thank you for protecting my Minnie. Or I guess I should probably say our Minnie now,” he said with a small smile. 

“Oh, I - of course,” Jeongin stuttered, “I could never live with myself if I left him in danger without trying to protect him.”

Seungmin looked up at Jeongin with a soft smile. He really got so lucky with his boyfriend. Heechul was always nervous about sending Seungmin off to school, but he felt so much better knowing his son had people like Jeongin to look after him. “I’m gonna go talk to your professor and then I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Heechul said. He kissed Seungmin on the forehead before standing up and walking over to the man who had just entered the ward. 

While everyone else was talking, Chan slipped away down the ward to where Minho was sitting up in a bed, staring at his lap. “Hey,” he said cautiously, “how are you feeling?”

Minho jumped a mile and pulled his knees up to his chest when Chan suddenly appeared at the edge of his bed. “Okay,” he replied simply. He glanced up at Chan apprehensively. The last conversation they had hadn’t gone well, and he wasn’t sure what to expect of this one. “I’m so sorry for hurting Seungmin,” he said in a small voice.

“It’s not your fault,” Chan said easily, “Jacob’s dad told us what Yang did to you. I’m sorry you were treated like that. You didn’t deserve it at all.”

Minho sighed sadly and glanced down. It didn’t seem like Chan was that upset. “Everyone keeps saying that and I’m sick of hearing it,” he said, “I don’t care if this wasn’t technically my fault, I still did it. There were so many things I could have done differently and I didn’t.” He didn’t want people to feel sorry for him, it made him feel all the more guilty. 

“Hey, you did the best that you could with the options you had,” Chan said. He sat at the foot of the bed, giving Minho his space. “I can’t speak for Jeongin or Seungmin, but I’m sure they would both easily forgive you. You had no say in what happened last night.”

Minho scooted as far back from Chan as he could. “I don’t deserve their forgiveness,” he said miserably, “it’s not fair. They’re going to remember what happened for a long time and I can’t even remember most of what happened these last six months.”

“You’re right, it’s not fair,” Chan said, “and I’m sure it’s traumatizing for all of you. Not remembering is just as scary as remembering everything. I just wish there was something Jacob or I could do to help you.”

Minho picked his head up at that. “You want to help me? Why? I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible your year has been because of me and you still want to help? I don’t understand,” he said, slightly confused. He had thought everyone would have given up on him, but that was evidently not the case. 

“I’ll admit, starting the year off with a dislocated shoulder wasn’t the best way things could have gone, but even that wasn’t you, Minho,” Chan said, “Jacob loves you a lot and I’ve barely even gotten the chance to know you, the real you. He’s been saying all year that you weren’t his Minho, that his Minho would never say or do the things you were doing, and he was right. I want to get to know his Minho, the same way I got to know Jeongin and am getting to know Changbin. You’re important to Jacob, so you’re important to me too.”

Minho hid his face in his knees, trying but failing to stop the tears from falling. He wasn’t sure if it was guilt from hurting Chan or from how supportive the older boy was despite everything. “Jacob hyung’s really lucky to have you. Just keep him safe and that’s how you can help me,” he mumbled. He wouldn’t have the opportunity to get to know Chan this year anyway so there was no point in trying. 

“Jacob’s dad said you weren’t sure about returning to Hogwarts next year,” Chan said, changing the subject, “the two of us will be living in London after graduation. Maybe we can work something out so that you can finish your schooling without actually having to go back.”

Minho wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before looking up again. “Y-You would do that?” he asked quietly. He knew there was no way he could return to Hogwarts in the fall, but he wasn’t sure about finishing school at all.

“Of course,” Chan said, “there’s no way Jacob won’t make it into the Auror program after last night, and I’m hoping to get hired here, so we’ll be able to afford something nice and spacious and quiet. There will always be a place in our home for any of our friends, and that includes you.”

“I didn’t think there was anyone in Hogwarts that was nicer than Jacob, but you might have him beat,” Minho said, “but the rest of your friends...I don’t think they’d be too happy about this.”

“Screw what the rest of them think,” Chan said, “we’ve spent too much time this year being misguided by what our friends think of people. I want to form an opinion about you on my own. Besides, they may be more receptive than you think.”

Minho’s eyes widened. “I just don’t want them to be mad at you,” he said quietly.

“I don’t think they will,” Chan said, “they trust me to make good decisions, and they know that the situation was out of your hands. We’ve all learned to be less quick to judge this year.”

“Thank you for being so understanding,” Minho said quietly, “I was expecting everyone to hate me, not that I would blame them, but this is just not what I was expecting.”

“They may be kids, but they’re starting to understand that not everything is black and white,” Chan said, “Jisung might take a little longer to come around but I’m sure you’ll be able to meet Lix and Hyunjin tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Oh no no, I can’t meet anyone tomorrow,” Minho said quickly. He barely wanted to be around the people he was with now, let alone new people.

“I just meant that they’ll be here to visit the other two tomorrow,” Chan said hurriedly, not wanting to upset Minho any more than he already was. “You don’t have to meet them if you don’t want to. It’s your choice.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be around anyone new right now,” Minho said. He didn’t have his wand with reach, which made him feel a little bit better, but he still didn’t trust himself. 

“Minho,” Chan said gently, “Yang is gone. He’s back at Azkaban. No one is going to Imperiuse you again, I promise.”

Minho curled into himself more. “I’m just not ready yet,” he said, “and I’m not scared of someone cursing me again. I’m scared of hurting someone else.”

“But you wouldn’t have hurt anyone if you hadn’t been cursed,” Chan said. He knew that the effects of PTSD usually defied logic, but he hoped the reassurance might help. 

“We don’t know that,” Minho said sadly, “one of the only things I remember him doing was threatening my sister and I don’t know what I would have done to keep her safe.”

“And your sister is safe now,” Chan said, “and you talked about wishing you had been able to tell Jacob. If the curse hadn’t prevented you from doing so, I’m sure you would have. I know it can be hard to reconcile with what you were forced to do, but that person wasn’t you. That was someone taking advantage of your brain and your body and leaving you in the backseat.”

Minho sighed sadly. That wasn’t the way he saw it, but he was too tired to disagree with Chan anymore. “I just hope he never tries to go after Jeongin again,” he said instead. 

“Between the escape and what he did to you, plus all the previous charges, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sentence him to the Dementor's Kiss,” Chan said quietly, “he’d certainly deserve it.”

Minho shivered at the thought. “I wouldn’t even be mad if that was his sentence,” he said. He doubted even Jeongin would protest it. 

“It’s been a long time coming,” Chan said, “it’s justice that should have been served nine years ago, but at least it’s being served now.

Minho nodded. He glanced down the ward and saw everyone talking around Seungmin’s bed. “They’re probably wondering where you are,” he said, “thank you for coming to check on me but you don’t have to stay down here.” He was grateful Chan had come to talk to him, but he didn’t want to keep the older boy from his friends any longer. 

“They’re all just excited to meet Seungmin’s dad,” Chan said, “most of them have little to no experience with Muggles. I can head back over there if you want me to.”

Minho could understand that. He loved hearing the stories of how his mom and dad met and how they had spent the majority of their relationship trying to understand each other’s lifestyles. “I just don’t want you to be stuck down here and miss everything,” he said. 

“It’s fine, I’ll have plenty of time with them later,” Chan said, “Jacob and I are going to spend the night to be here for Jeongin. Your parents are on their way as well, but I believe it’ll take them another few hours. Something about one of them refusing magical transportation?”

Minho sighed sadly. “Yeah that sounds like my dad,” he said, “he’s adjusted really well to everything, but he won’t use any magical transportation no matter how much faster it is. He was hesitant to begin with but one day he overheard my mom explaining what splinching was to me and he put his foot down.”

Chan grimaced. “My parents aren’t huge fans of all of it either, but they’ve spent enough time with Jacob’s parents that they don’t really worry about it anymore.”

“That’s nice that they all get along so well. The Wizarding world can be scary so it’s always good to have some help getting around,” Minho said. 

“They’ve always lived next door. Jacob’s dad processes the Muggle clearances for parents of Muggleborns and when he saw my name on the list, he came right over and explained everything himself,” Chan said, “they’re like my second set of parents.”

Minho smiled softly at that. “They are really great parents,” he commented, “and they’re great people to have around.” He didn’t realize how much he had missed seeing Jacob’s parents, outside of this incident. 

“I don’t know how you and I managed to avoid becoming friends for so long,” Chan said, “but I’m glad we’re able to talk now.”

“Me too. Jacob’s told me a lot about you,” Minho admitted, “I remember before you guys got together he would always come to me and gush about how amazing you are.” He actually felt comfortable around Chan, which was a lot better than he anticipated.

“He’s talked a lot this year about how much he missed being able to hang out with you,” Chan said softly, “Jeongin too.” He wasn’t saying it to be malicious or to make Minho feel guilty. He just figured that telling him everything he could about what had happened while he was cursed might help the trauma of not knowing subside a bit.

“Really?” Minho asked. He turned his head so he could see his best friend. “I still owe him a proper apology. Him and Jeongin,” he said. He didn’t know how he was even going to begin talking to Jeongin, but that could wait until tomorrow. 

“I’m sure once the Headmaster leaves and all the energy dies down, Cobi will come over here,” Chan said, “he got caught up with Seungmin’s dad and Professor Kang, I believe.”

“That’s alright. I’d rather him make sure everything is all taken care of and everyone is okay before coming down here,” Minho said. 

“You know him,” Chan said, “he puts everyone else before himself. I’m sure he’s dying to come and talk to you. It’s been months really. We even had a pretty big fight about it a few weeks ago.”

Minho whipped back around to face Chan again. “You two had a fight because of me?” he asked, “oh my God, I’m so sorry.” He wondered how many other problems he had caused that people weren’t telling him about.

“We had a fight because I was being a jealous little prick,” Chan corrected, “he was trying to figure out what he could do to help you and I got upset with how much time he was devoting to what I saw as a hopeless cause.”

Minho paused. Was Chan being nice to him because he felt guilty? He didn’t want to think about that so he forced the thought from his head. “I’m still really sorry you guys fought, but I take it everything is okay now,” he said, eyes trailing to the ring on Chan’s finger. 

Chan followed Minho’s eyes down to his hand and flushed slightly. “Yeah, things are great now,” he said with a happy sigh, “I really love him a lot.” He opted not to tell Minho that he’d been wearing the ring since November; that might be too much.

“You make him really happy,” Minho said. He knew how much Jacob cared about Chan, even with having been all but gone the last six months.

“He makes me really happy too,” Chan said. Jacob had always been his best friend and was the one person he knew he could never live without. When he heard that Jacob had been involved in a Death Eater attack and was unconscious in the hospital wing, his heart had frozen.

Minho smiled softly. “So did he propose to you or was he too shy?” he asked. He wanted to hear about all of the good things that had happened too.

“No, it’s not anything like that,” Chan said, “I had brought up the idea of getting married after we graduate kind of out of the blue and he asked me if I was proposing. I told him no because I wanted to do the actual real thing, and he came up with the idea of conjuring these promise rings in the meantime.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize they were just promise rings. It’s gorgeous though. And the colors are a good choice,” Minho said. He had always wanted a relationship like Jacob and Chan’s, but now that that chance was gone, he was going to have to live vicariously through his friend. 

“Our parents weren’t exactly thrilled when they first saw them, but I think they’ve come to terms with it,” Chan said, “my dad said that they were expecting it, just not for a few more years.”

“I’m sure they’ll come around soon,” Minho said supportively. He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching the bed and watched Jacob move to stand next to Chan. “Hey,” he said, “I’m sorry it took so long to get down here.”

Chan stood up, leaving space for Jacob to sit. “I’m gonna go talk to Seungmin and his dad,” he said. He didn’t know Mr. Kim very well, but he was almost certain that the man was still freaking out. 

The moment Chan left, Minho launched into his apology. “I’m so sorry for everything. And I’m glad everyone’s okay, but I really am so sorry I hurt Seungmin. And Innie! And Chan told me I dislocated his shoulder and that you two got in a big fight and I am just so sorry for everything that happened,” he rambled. 

“Minho, Minho!” Jacob said, gripping the younger boy’s shoulders. “It’s okay,” he said softly, sitting next to his best friend and pulling him into his arms. “You’ll probably hear it a million times but you really did absolutely nothing wrong.”

Minho didn’t shy away from Jacob’s touch. Instead he hugged his friend tightly and did his best to fight the next round of tears that threatened to spill over. He missed this so much. “I still want to apologize to Seungmin and Jeongin,” he said. 

“Of course, and I’m sure they’ll appreciate it,” Jacob said, “but that still doesn’t make any of this your fault.”

Minho stiffened. “I guess so,” he mumbled into Jacob’s shoulder. He was so tired of the excuses and everyone trying to convince him this wasn’t his fault. The guilt of what happened was never going to go away and he wished people would stop trying. 

Jacob rubbed Minho’s back gently. “Chan and I will always be here for you, no matter what.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Minho whispered, “Chan told me about your fight. I’m really sorry that happened. I know how much he means to you and I would hate to see you lose him because of something like this.”

“Our fight wasn’t really about you,” Jacob said, “it was about our own inability to communicate and my own hyperfixation problems.”

“I still don’t want to see you lose him. You make him really happy,” Minho said. He pulled back slightly and unwrapped Jacob’s arm from around his back so he could see his ring. “When did this happen?”

“November,” Jacob said with a small smile, “I had found an incantation for them and Chan had asked and it just...felt right. My mom was  _ pissed _ .”

“She was? Why? Chan said it was just a promise ring so why would she be mad about it?” Minho asked. He had never known Jacob’s mother to get upset about anything so this was definitely surprising. 

“I mean, they are, I guess, because he still wants to do the whole down-on-one-knee thing, but they’re still promising that lifelong commitment and she didn’t know anything about the spell that I used to make them or anything,” Jacob said.

Minho hummed. “Well I’m really happy for you,” he said quietly. He chewed on his lip nervously for a moment before continuing. “H-How am I supposed to apologize to Innie? It’s not that I don’t want to but I don’t know if I could ever tell him how sorry I really am. I can barely look at him without feeling horrible for what happened, let alone talk to him.”

Jacob thought for a moment. “I would let him and Seungmin come to you,” he said, “which they will, I’m sure. Let them say what they want. They might not even want an apology.”

Minho nodded. “I’ll wait, but I have to apologize,” he said. He didn’t know what he would do if Jeongin and Seungmin didn’t want an apology. Sniffing quietly, he leaned back against Jacob’s shoulder. The older boy was sturdy to lean against and it was comforting to have his friend back. 

“Honestly I think Seungmin’s dad might want an apology more than Seungmin and Jeongin do,” Jacob said, “he doesn’t exactly understand the mechanics of the curse.”

“I don’t want to tell him what happened...I can’t. But I’ll do anything else he wants. I’ll apologize and he doesn’t have to worry about me being around Seungmin anymore,” Minho said. 

“He already knows, but I think he’s in a bit of shock from Seungmin getting hurt,” Jacob said, “he didn’t seem angry when we explained it to him though.”

Minho sniffed. “I can’t even imagine how he feels,” he mumbled miserably. 

“I’m sure he’s very overwhelmed by all of this,” Jacob said, “Seungmin isn’t able to use magic when he’s home, so he really has no experience with it.”

Minho nodded. His chest ached with the guilt he felt and he bit his lip to keep himself quiet. He wasn’t sure how much longer Jacob was going to stay with him and he wanted to make the most of it.

Jacob looked up when someone called his name. “My dad’s leaving,” he said, “I’ll be right back, okay?” He got up and squeezed Minho’s shoulder before going to walk his dad out. 

Minho let go of Jacob and scooted back. He pulled his knees up and hugged them against his chest. He watched Jacob walk down the hallway to where his dad was standing at the door. 


	23. Chapter 23

Things quieted down a bit once Jaewook, Sungjin, and Younghyun left. That is, until Minho’s parents arrived. They burst into the ward as if he were dying, rushing toward his bed at the end.

Minho jumped a mile when the door suddenly opened. He watched his family rush over to him and he sat on the edge of the bed so he could hug his sister tightly. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop himself from sobbing again the moment his sister was in his arms.

Seungmin and Jeongin cast sad glances down the ward toward Minho and his family. It was obvious that the older boy was hurting so much from this and they wished there was something they could do to help.

“I’m so sorry,” Minho choked out when his parents came over, “I’m really so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.” He held his sister tightly, so glad that Jeongin’s uncle wasn’t able to follow through with his threat. 

Minho’s father sighed and hugged both of his children tightly. “You’re okay, kiddo,” he said quietly, “it’s all okay now.”

Minho just cried harder. Nothing was going to be okay again, but at least everyone was safe now. It took him a moment to realize that his parents weren’t angry with him, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t change later. 

Minho’s mother conjured a curtain around them, giving them all some privacy. “Minho, baby, you have to breathe, okay?” she said, sitting on the bed next to her husband. 

Minho gasped for air, desperately trying to calm himself down. It took him a little while, but he slowly managed to relax. He forced himself to let go of his sister so he could look up at his parents.

“The Headmaster told us what happened,” Nayeon said, running a hand through her son’s hair, “I’m so sorry, honey.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt them. I promise,” Minho said miserably, “and I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him. And I haven’t even talked to Jeongin or Seungmin yet and I have no idea how they are.”

“We know, kiddo,” his mother said with a sigh, “your father and I noticed you seeming a little off at Christmas and we’re sorry we didn’t try and push you harder to talk to us.”

“I don’t know if I would have said anything,” Minho said sadly, “I don’t think I talked to anyone, but I don’t remember what happened.”

“No, but we could have noticed that you were acting erratically and brought you here,” she said sadly, “people aren’t as vigilant about these curses as they used to be, unfortunately.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad Jacob hyung came when he did. I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t,” Minho whispered. He felt a pang of guilt when he saw his sister’s terrified expression. 

“Don’t dwell on that,” Donghun said, “Jacob was able to get there in time, that’s all that matters.”

Minho sniffed and nodded. “They said I could go back to school next year, but...I don’t want to,” he said. 

“That’s up to you, honey,” Nayeon said, “we can talk about it more this summer, alright?”

Minho nodded. “Chan offered to help me instead, but I don’t know if I want to do that either,” he said. If he was being honest with himself he didn’t want to do magic anymore altogether, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well. 

“That’s very kind of him,” Donghun said, “but right now, you just need to focus on feeling better and coming home, alright?”

Minho nodded again. “They didn’t tell me how long I have to stay for,” he said, “but I just wanna go home now.”

“You were cursed for so long, and there’s a lot of evidence that you were tortured a couple of times as well,” Nayeon said quietly, “they want to observe you for a while and make sure that the effects of both curses are completely gone.”

A chill ran through Minho’s body. “How long are you staying for?” he asked in a small voice. 

“Your sister has to be at school on Monday, so we’ll be going home tomorrow night, but your mother will be back after work every night until you come home or you tell her to stop,” his father said. 

“I want you to come as much as you can,” Minho said. He knew it was selfish, but he missed his family a lot and didn’t want to be apart from them if he could help it. 

“I’ll be here every night, honey,” Nayeon assured him, “and your father and sister will be here on the weekends.”

Minho nodded. He scooted closer to his parents so he could hug his mother tightly. “W-What do people think?” he asked quietly. He knew that the Daily Prophet had to have reported on this by now and he couldn’t imagine how people were reacting. 

“They’re mostly talking about Jeongin,” Nayeon said, pulling a copy of the paper out of her handbag, “the only people that have talked to the Prophet are the Headmaster and Professor Kang, so most of the conversation now is about why Yang didn’t receive the Kiss years ago and why the Ministry didn’t let anyone know when he first escaped. It was mentioned that you attacked them while under the Imperius Curse, but pretty much everything is anger directed at the Minister.” She passed Minho the paper so he could read for himself.

Minho took the paper with shaky hands. He skimmed the article, not wanting to waste too much time reading the whole thing. He had expected people to be angry with him, to hate him, for attacking innocent students, but that wasn’t the case at all. 

“I believe Jacob’s father has a press conference in the morning, so we’ll see how the response changes after that, but as of right now, people are angry for you, not at you,” Nayeon said. Her husband nodded in agreement. Given that he worked in public relations, he would know.

Minho didn’t know what to think. He folded the paper and handed it back to his mother. “I thought everyone would hate me,” he said in a small voice, “not even Chan or Jacob hyung are angry.”

“That’s because nothing that happened was your fault, honey,” Nayeon said softly, “I know it may be hard to accept, but you’re a victim in all of this, Minho.”

“Everyone keeps saying that and I’m sick of hearing it,” Minho said, starting to get frustrated now, “I don’t care if it’s my fault or not, I still did it and I still have to live with it. I just...I just don’t deserve the pity.” The wind was taken out of his sails as fast as it had come. 

“Would you say the same thing about Jeongin?” Donghun asked, “if you’re guilty at all, then so is he.”

“No, Jeongin didn’t do anything,” Minho argued, “I hurt  _ him _ .” It was hard to argue his case when all he had to go off of was what people told him happened. 

“Yang was there and cursed you in order to reach Jeongin, which also resulted in Seungmin getting hurt,” Donghun said, “blame isn’t always objective, kiddo.”

Minho was too tired to argue anymore. He was starting to get overwhelmed again and wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand. More than anything he wished this was a horrible nightmare he would wake up from, but he knew he wasn’t so lucky.

“I think you’re really brave, Minnie,” his sister finally spoke up, “what happened sounds really scary. Mum and Dad didn’t tell me everything, but I don’t think I’d be able to talk to anyone if I went through even half of that.”

Minho smiled sadly and hugged his sister again. “Thanks Chae,” he mumbled, “but you don’t need to know everything that happened.”

“No, and I don’t want to,” Chaeryeong said, “because it’s scary. But that doesn’t make you any less brave.”

Minho hadn’t felt any better after talking to anyone, yet just a minute with his sister made all the difference. “Yeah it is really scary, but it’s not gonna happen again,” he promised, “I’m gonna come home and nothing’s gonna take me away from you ever again.”

“I’m really happy you’re okay,” Chaeryeong said quietly. She still wouldn’t know for sure until June if she would be going to Hogwarts or not, but if she did, she hoped she would learn to be as brave as her brother.

“Me too. I missed you a lot, Chae,” Minho said. He glanced over his sister’s shoulder at his parents and did his best to muster a small smile. 

“We’re going to go upstairs and grab something to eat quick, alright?” Nayeon said, standing up, “we’ll give you two a few minutes to catch up.” With that, she and Donghun left the ward.

“Hogwarts really is great,” Minho promised, “I hope you get to go. You’d really love it there.” He hoped this didn’t ruin his sister’s opinion of the wizarding world entirely, she had always been so curious about magic. 

“I hope so too,” Chaeryeong said with a sigh, “school has been awful this year. Everyone thinks I’m weird because no one can ever come to our house and Mum barely comes to anything.” While Minho had exhibited magical qualities from a very young age, Chaeryeong was a much later bloomer, so she was still in Muggle public school, so that she wouldn’t fall behind on the off chance that she didn’t have any magic. “You never replied to any of my letters this year, which was weird,” she added with a pout.

Minho sighed. “I’m so sorry, but you’re almost done at that horrible school,” he said. He wished he had known what was going on so he could have helped his sister sooner. “And I’m really sorry about the letters. I, uh, I didn’t even know you sent any.” He wondered if he had simply ignored them or if something intercepted them before they could have been delivered to him. 

“It’s okay, Mum said you might not,” Chaeryeong said, “they told me he was controlling your mind and that you probably wouldn’t remember anything before yesterday. That must have been so scary.”

Minho nodded. “Yeah it is really scary. I don’t even remember coming home for Christmas,” he said sadly, “but I’m back now and I’m gonna make everything up to you I promise. We’ll spend the whole summer getting you ready for Hogwarts.”

“You were really quiet and you spent a lot of time in your room,” Chaeryeong said, “it was weird but Mum and Dad said you were probably just really stressed and being a teenager.”

Minho sniffed. That wasn’t like him at all, but it added up to what Jaewook said about him isolating himself. “I think that was me trying to fight what was going on, but I don’t know,” he said. He was just glad he didn’t hurt any of his family, especially his sister. 

“I’m glad you’re back now,” Chaeryeong said quietly, hugging her brother tightly.

Minho hugged his sister back. “Promise me you’ll tough out the rest of the year and come to me if anyone bothers you, okay?” he asked. He wasn’t in a position to be making threats, but when it came to his sister, he didn’t care.

“Of course I will,” Chaeryeong said, “Mum said you’ll be home once you’re out of the hospital anyway, so you’ll actually be home while I’m still in school.”

“Yeah, I’m coming home as soon as they let me out of here. And you can tell all those people at school that your brother’s home and that I’ll give them a piece of my mind if they keep bothering you,” he said. 

“They’re not bothering me,” Chaeryeong said, “they just don’t hang out with me. It doesn’t really matter though, because I won’t be there next year.”

Minho frowned. “They don’t know what they’re missing,” he said, “and little do they know you’re going to be the most talented witch in the whole country.”

“Stop it,” Chaeryeong whined, “there’s no way I’m gonna be better than you or Mum. You two are brilliant.”

“You’re gonna to be just as brilliant as Mum, I know it,” Minho said, “you’re smart, and kind, and talented, and hardworking, and that’s everything a great witch needs. I bet you’ll even be in Ravenclaw like Mum.”

Chaeryeong flushed deeply and shoved Minho’s shoulder. “Don’t be like that,” she said, “we still don’t even know if I’m going.”

Minho smiled for real for the first time in what felt like ages. “You’re gonna go. I just know you are,” he said confidently. 

“I don’t know,” Chaeryeong said doubtfully, “I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly magical yet. There’s only two months left for something to happen.”

“You can blame dad for that,” Minho said, “and it doesn’t mean you’re not magical. It just means you’re waiting for the right moment.” He had all the confidence in the world that his sister was going to get her letter on her birthday.

“What if I never get a letter?” CHaeryeong asked in a small voice. She looked up to her brother so much and wanted to be just like him. Not having magic would ruin that.

“Then we’ll work together to find something else that you can be amazing at,” Minho said. He glanced down the hallway to make sure their parents weren’t back yet. “If you don’t get your letter we’ll learn how to be Muggles together and I’m sure you’ll be just as amazing at whatever you decide to do.” He wasn’t going to admit to his sister that he was going to be giving up magic altogether; he could save that for if she didn’t get her letter.

Chaeryeong sighed and slumped. She was just so anxious about the letter. She wished there was just some sort of test she could take to know without having to wait.

“Hey, come here,” Minho said, pulling his sister against him again, “everything’s gonna work out, I promise.” He looked up when he heard the door open and his parents came back down the hallway.

“Thanks,” Chaeryeong said quietly before hopping up, “I’m gonna go find a bathroom so you can talk to Mum and Dad. Get out all the serious stuff, y’know.”

Minho reached out and mussed up his sister’s hair before she could get out of arm’s reach. “Don’t wander off too far,” he warned. He nervously watched his sister bound down the hallway and out of the door before turning to look up at his parents.

“How are you feeling, kiddo?” Donghun asked. He sat next to the bed and handed Minho a cupcake, thinking that the boy probably needed the sugar.

Minho wasn’t that hungry, but he couldn’t remember the last time he ate anything so he took it gratefully. “Actually a lot better after talking to Chae,” he said as he unwrapped the paper, “she’s really worried about not getting her letter, but I know it’s gonna come.”

“She’s definitely got magic,” Nayeon agreed, “I think she expects the signs to be explosive, but they usually aren’t and that’s why she’s so worried.”

Minho smiled. “What a little worrywart,” he said fondly, “I think she’s gonna be Ravenclaw like you too.”

“Oh, she’s a spitting image of me at that age,” Nayeon agreed, “she’ll fit right in in Ravenclaw House. I’m sure you would have too, if you weren’t such a little troublemaker.”

“Hey, I’m not a troublemaker, I’m just more adventurous,” Minho said defensively, “and I don’t think I would have been able to keep up with Changbin either.” He froze. “Oh my God is Changbin okay?” He hadn’t heard anything about the younger boy and he hoped his friend hadn’t gotten dragged into this too.

“Changbin wasn’t involved at all, honey, don’t worry,” Nayeon said, “he’s up at the castle; Jacob mentioned something about a Hyunjin and a Felix? I’m not sure, but I suppose they’re friends of his.”

Minho heaved a sigh of relief. “I...I don’t know them well,” he said slowly, “are they okay though?” Friends of Changbin’s? That didn’t sound right, but everything was still fuzzy.

“Yes, it was just you, Jeongin, Seungmin and Jacob in the woods,” Nayeon said, “and Jacob was only treated last night for shock from the whole ordeal.”

Minho took a shaky breath. “I’m glad the other boys are okay,” he said, “it’s just...it’s just really hard to wrap my head around everything that happened.” He was already starting to get choked up again and he hoped his sister came back soon.

“The two of them should be released in a few days,” Nayeon explained gently, “but you’ll probably have to stay longer to make sure you’ve got your full mental faculties back in your own control.”

Minho nodded in understanding. Speaking of being back in control. “Will you take my wand home with you?” he asked, “I don’t trust myself yet and I don’t want it around.” He paused before continuing in a small voice. “And I think I want to give up magic, but don’t tell anyone else yet, especially Chae. I don’t want her to give up on it because of me.”

“Minho,” Nayeon started, exchanging a glance with her husband, “honey, I don’t think we can do that. I know you’re scared now, but that’ll fade, I promise.”

“Mom, please,” Minho begged, “if you won’t take it then maybe the hospital staff will? Jaewook-ssi wouldn’t let me leave it at Hogwarts, but I don’t want it here.”

“They won’t take it either, honey, they legally can’t,” Nayeon said sadly, “even if you ask them to, you’re not considered mentally stable right now.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to take it then? What if something else happens?” Minho asked desperately, “there has to be something you can do! Hex it so I can’t pick it up, lock it in a drawer, something! Anything!”

“Minho, honey, you’re fine,” Nayeon said, reaching for her son, “you’re not going to hurt anyone, I promise. If someone were to take your wand right now, they would be incapacitating you and there’s no way of knowing if you genuinely want that.”

Minho clung onto his mother tightly. “I’m still scared,” he mumbled. He knew his parents were going to have to leave soon and that scared him even more.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” she asked gently, “or your father? Either of us would be okay with sitting with you.”

“Will you?” Minho asked, looking up at his mom. He would rather his mother stay because she would be able to stop him if he tried to use magic. 

“Of course, honey,” Nayeon said, “we can’t both stay, because someone needs to stay with Chaeryeong, but one of us will stay with you all night, and we’ll figure out something for the rest of the week, alright?”

Minho nodded. “Thank you,” he whispered. He jumped when the curtain was suddenly pulled back to reveal his sister standing beside it. He forced a smile onto his face so she didn’t start to get worried again. 

“The other boys were asking about you,” Chaeryeong said as she sat down, “they wanted to know how you were feeling. I told them you’re okay.”

“They were asking about me?” Minho asked, slightly surprised. He couldn’t understand how they were worried, but that was something he would have to ask them tomorrow. “Thanks for telling them. I still have to figure out how to apologize to them.”

“The little one said he was worried that you were guilt tripping yourself,” she said with a shrug, “he seems really eager to talk to you.”

“Jeongin’s worried?” Minho asked incredulously. That didn’t make sense at all. “Now I can’t wait to hear what he says when I tell him you think he’s little.”

“Well, he’s shorter than the other one,” Chaeryeong said with a shrug, “but yeah, he kept trying to see around the curtain.”

Minho shook his head. “I’ll talk to him later. I’m sure he’ll come over at some point,” he said. He kept in mind what Jacob said about letting the boys come to him first. 

Donghun looked at his watch and stood up. “Chae, say good night to Minho and your mum,” he said, “we need to head to our hotel soon.”

Minho hugged his sister tightly. “Get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. He pulled back slightly to look up at his dad. “Thanks for coming to see me. I know it’s really far from home.” 

“Of course, kiddo,” Donghun said, leaning over to kiss his son’s forehead, “we’ll see you in the morning, alright?”

Minho nodded and covered his mouth to hide a yawn. He was absolutely exhausted but he doubted he was going to sleep well if at all that night. 

“I’m going to walk them out,” Nayeon said, standing as well, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Unfortunately, Minho was right and he didn’t sleep very well, which meant his mom was up with him most of the night, keeping him calm and coaxing him back to sleep. At one point he simply couldn’t sleep anymore so he sat up in bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. When his mom woke up a little while later she made sure Minho was okay before going to get something to eat. Minho kept his hands clasped together tightly, knuckles white from how hard he was holding them together. 

When Minho’s mom left the ward, Jeongin snuck out of his bed and woke up Seungmin, who had been dozing off in his own bed. They made their way down the ward and peeked around the curtain. “Minho?” Jeongin asked quietly.

Minho shrunk back when Jeongin poked his head in. “H-Hi, Jeongin,” he said quietly. Now that the younger boy was in front of him, all of the guilt he felt came flooding back and he was already on the verge of tears.

“Can we talk?” Jeongin asked, stepping inside the curtain and tugging Seungmin with him. He kept a tight grip on his boyfriend’s hand, feeling nervous now that Minho was in front of him.

Seungmin held Jeongin’s hand tightly. He could feel his boyfriend shaking and was a little bit nervous himself to be near Minho again. “Yeah, but first I owe both of you an apology. I know saying sorry doesn’t erase what happened and I know it’s not fair that I’ll never remember what I did, but you guys will have to live with that forever, but I still want to say I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I hurt you two and I wish I did more to make sure this didn’t happen. And Jeongin I can’t imagine how hard it was to see your uncle again,” he said. 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Jeongin said hurriedly, “I don’t blame you for what happened. I know you didn’t have any choice in the matter. And seeing him...I don’t really remember him all that well, so…” He trailed off, not sure what else to say.

“Still, everything that happened was really traumatic for both of you and I’m so sorry it happened,” Minho said. He turned to Seungmin. “And I’m sure your dad was scared out of his mind.” Seungmin nodded. “Yeah, he doesn’t really understand what’s going on so he was really scared at first, but he’s better now that he knows I’m okay,” he replied. Minho hummed. “Do you think I could apologize to him too later? It’s okay if he doesn’t want to talk to me though, I’d understand,” he said. Seungmin’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, yeah sure. I’ll tell him,” he said quietly.

Jeongin stood slightly behind Seungmin holding his boyfriend’s hand in a death grip. He genuinely did forgive Minho and believe it wasn’t his fault, but being so close to the older boy now just reminded him of the moment when one of his best friends had turned to him and cast a curse to torture him. He had always believed that Minho would never hurt him, and although Minho hadn’t chosen to do so, it was still his face that Jeongin associated with the memory.

Seungmin acted as a barrier between Jeongin and Minho as best he could. It wasn’t much if the older boy did anything, but at least it was something. Minho could see the fear as clear as day in Jeongin’s eyes. And the fact that he was practically hiding behind Seungmin confirmed his thought. One of his best friends was terrified of him and there was nothing he could do to fix it. “You don’t have to stay,” he said quietly, “I don’t want to see you get hurt any more.”

“No, I’m not...I’m not scared of  _ you _ ,” Jeongin explained quietly, “I’m scared of what you did and even though I know that  _ you _ didn’t do it, someone with your face did, and that’s what makes me nervous. I want to be around you, hyung, I really missed you a lot.”

“I missed you too, Innie, but I don’t want you to push yourself so soon. You won’t really be seeing much of me anymore anyway,” Minho said. He glanced down at Jeongin and Seungmin’s clasped hands. “Focus on feeling better, okay? I’m sure Jacob hyung and Changbin were taking good care of you for me.”

“They are, but we’re all miserable without you,” Jeongin said softly. He rested his chin on Seungmin’s shoulder, feeling himself relax a little bit as he and Minho were able to keep talking.

Minho smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you guys over the summer at some point. You two get to go back to school soon right?” 

“Yeah, by the end of the week, I think,” Jeongin said, “it’s mostly because Seungmin’s still got some pain and I’m not going to leave without him.”

Minho felt a pang of guilt and could barely bring himself to look at the Hufflepuff. “That’s nice of you to stay. How did you two become friends?” he asked. He had missed everything and it was horrible. 

“Seungminnie started feeding the thestrals with me this year,” Jeongin explained softly. He was sure Minho had noticed that only Seungmin’s dad had come earlier and could put two and two together. “We got close when everything started happening and he invited me to stay with him and his dad over break. We started dating on Christmas.”

“Dating?” Minho asked, glancing between the two boys. Seungmin felt his face heat up and he turned his head down. Minho smiled softly, not having the heart to tease Jeongin like he usually would. “I trust you’ve been taking good care of Innie for me?” he asked instead. Seungmin glanced up and nodded furiously. “I’m happy you found each other,” he said satisfied. He really had missed so much. 

“He’s amazing,” Jeongin said happily, “he even helped me through my birthday before I told him why I was sad. He’s really helped me a lot this year.”

Minho’s smile widened slightly. He had never seen Jeongin talk so highly of someone, not even Jacob. “I’m sure Jacob hyung already lectured you enough and he knows more than me so I’ll spare you. I know everything has been really stressful since you two got together and you deserve to actually have fun.”

“We have plenty of time,” Jeongin agreed, “and you have plenty of time to get to know Seungminnie yourself. I wish Jacob and Chan hadn’t tried so hard to be subtle about their relationship, because we all would’ve become friends much earlier.”

Minho smiled tightly. He wasn’t sure exactly how to break the news to Jeongin that he wouldn’t be going back, but he could worry about that later. “It would’ve made everything different. But I saw their rings. That was very bold of them but I’ve never seen Jacob do anything irrational in his life,” he said.

“I really don’t think it surprised anyone,” Jeongin said, “we were more surprised when Chan took his off during their fight. Jacob was absolutely devastated.”

Minho’s face fell. “They told me about the fight, but not about Chan taking his ring off,” he said with a sigh, “everything that could have gone wrong did, didn’t it?”

“I mean, they’re fine now,” Jeongin said uncertainly, “Chan’s got his ring again. Maybe it’s just from all that’s happened, but they seem even better now than they were before. I think they needed to have the fight, honestly.”

Minho sighed sadly. “I just hope they don’t fight that bad again,” he said. He knew he would never be the cause of another one of their fights, but it was still a worry.

Jeongin bit his lip and shrugged. He hoped so too, but he also knew that arguments were an inevitability. “We should let you get some rest,” he said finally.

“Oh, yeah. And I’m sure you two are tired too,” Minho said, “I’m glad we got to talk and Seungmin, please, talk to your dad for me.” Seungmin nodded. “I will,” he promised. 

Jeongin smiled at his friend and pulled himself and Seungmin out of the curtains. As soon as they were at the other end of the ward, he slumped into his boyfriend and hugged him tightly, fighting tears. It hurt so much that he was so scared of one of his best friends. 

Seungmin sat down on his bed, pulling Jeongin into his lap. “I’m so proud of you, Innie,” he said, one hand rubbing up and down Jeongin’s back, “that must have been so hard and you did so well. I know it’s overwhelming to see him again.”

“I don’t think he’s coming back,” Jeongin mumbled, “he was talking like he’s leaving, Minnie. I can’t lose him again.”

“Jeongin, I want you to make sure you’re absolutely sure about this,” Seungmin said gently, “I know he’s one of your best friends and you miss him lot and I’m willing to do everything I can to help you get him back, but if it’s too much for you I won’t. I know you don’t want to lose him again, but you have to think about yourself and make sure you’re okay. You were squeezing my hand so tight in there, I know you were scared. And that’s okay, Innie, but my first priority will always be you.”

“I  _ need  _ him,” Jeongin whimpered, “my brain isn’t going to register that he’s normal now if I’m not around him, no matter how scary it is. I need Minho, Seungmin, you don’t understand.”

“Okay, okay. We’ll get him back, Innie, I promise,” Seungmin said, “and I’m gonna do everything I can to help you.” He knew how much Minho meant to Jeongin and he didn’t want to be the one to come between that no matter how scared he was. 

“He was the first person that actually cared about me without being obligated to,” Jeongin said quietly, “I can’t just give up on him.”

“You don’t have to give up on him,” Seungmin assured, “I just don’t want to see you push yourself too hard and get hurt more.”

“Even if I’m scared, it’ll be worth it to see him not scared anymore,” Jeongin said bravely, sitting up straighter, “he’s always taken care of me. It’s my turn now.”

Seungmin smiled softly. “You’re so amazing,” he said, leaning forward to kiss the tip of Jeongin’s nose. 

Jeongin tilted his head up so that Seungmin’s kiss landed on his mouth instead of his nose. “I love you,” he said quietly, “I know it’s only been a few months, but I really think I do.”

Seungmin felt his heart swell. Even though they were so young and hadn’t been together long, he knew he really cared about Jeongin. “I love you too,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to say it or not at first but the words felt so natural leaving his lips.

Jeongin smiled softly and kissed Seungmin again. “I’m so happy you’re okay,” he mumbled, “I was so scared you were gonna die.”

“I was too,” Seungmin admitted quietly, “I didn’t know what was going to happen or what he was going to do for you. I was so scared that I was going to lose you.” He tightened his grip on his boyfriend.

“Thank god for Jacob,” Jeongin murmured, “If he hadn’t showed up, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Seungmin nodded. “We’re really lucky,” he said, “and he’s definitely a lot less scary now.” He had talked a lot with Jacob the past few days and the older boy was a lot less intimidating than he originally thought. 

“Told you,” Jeongin teased, “I’m gonna see if I can stay with him and Chan over the summers once they graduate, so you’ll see him a lot more now.”

Seungmin pouted. “I’m sure they would let you stay. Chan’s just as much of a dad as Jacob so he would love it,” he said. 

“I know,” Jeongin said, “I just don’t want to impose. I don’t know if the Ministry will even let me.”

“There’s no way you’d be imposing. I’m sure Jacob would have adopted you by now if he could have,” Seungmin said, “and if that doesn’t work, you’re always welcome to stay with me.”

“I’m pretty sure your dad would stress himself grey,” Jeongin joked, “but thank you, Minnie, that really means a lot.”

Seungmin smiled softly. “The only thing he’d worry about is the apartment being too small. But as long as you at least promise to come visit then we’ll be happy,” he said. 

“Of course,” Jeongin said, “I’ll come visit you no matter what. They can’t stop me.”

“Good,” Seungmin said with a nod. He muffled a yawn and laid back on the bed, pulling Jeongin with him. 

Jeongin let Seungmin tug him around until he was comfortable, then clung on tight. He was glad that everything was better now. He had Seungmin, he had Minho back, his uncle was gone for good. Life was going to be okay.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have finally reached the end! We just want to say thank you for everyone who has stuck with us throughout this story. I know it was quite the ride and it's bittersweet to have finally made it to the end. This is one of our favorite AU's that we've written and we hope you've come to love it just as much as we do. For those of you that enjoyed this story there is a second part that is fully written. We do not know when we are going to begin posting that though. We hope over the summer but we don't know what life is going to bring. That all being said we hope you enjoy this finally chapter and thank you again for reading!

The first thing Changbin did after Jacob told him that Jeongin and Seungmin got hurt in an attack was go find Hyunjin. He knew the younger boy must have been a wreck and he didn’t want him to be alone. 

Hyunjin was a sobbing disaster. He’d seen Chan leaving in the morning with Seungmin’s notebook and had only managed to extract a quick explanation from him before the prefect had run off. His cries had woken up Felix, who had crawled into bed with him to try and help.

Changbin had practically sprinted through all the places he knew Hyunjin went when he was upset, but couldn’t find the younger boy. The only other place he could be was in the Hufflepuff dormitory but Changbin didn’t know the password to get in.

What had started as being upset about his friends getting hurt had quickly turned into a full blown panic attack. “Jinnie, you have to breathe,” Felix said quietly, trying his best to help his friend. Desperately, Hyunjin lunged for his nightstand, grabbing the coin sitting there and holding it tight in his fist.

Changbin was walking through the hallway when the coin in his pocket began vibrating rapidly. He felt himself getting pulled towards the Dungeons and he knew Hyunjin needed help. He took off as fast as he could, not worrying how he was going to get into the dormitory yet. He raced down the stairs, accidentally skipping the last stair and almost falling flat on his face. As luck would have it another Hufflepuff was entering the dorm just as he was rounding the corner and he managed to sneak in right behind them. He didn't even pay attention to the other people that turned to watch him and let the coin pull him towards Hyunjin’s room. He threw open the door without knocking and rushed over to the younger boy. 

Hyunjin and Felix both jumped when the door suddenly slammed open but then Hyunjin was collapsing into Changbin’s arms and sobbing into his shoulder. 

Changbin held Hyunjin tightly, not paying attention to the other boy in the room. “Easy, Hyunjin. I’m here now. Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise,” he said soothingly.

Hyunjin felt like he couldn’t breathe. In his mind, he was fully convinced that Seungmin and Jeongin were dead and that, somehow, some way, it was his fault.

“Hey, listen to me. Your friends are all okay. I just talked to Jacob hyung and he told me everything. He even said we could go see them today, but you gotta try and calm down for me,” Changbin said, “just focus on me and try to breathe. I’m not going anywhere and I’ll stay as long as you need.”

“I’m gonna go get him some water,” Felix said, getting up and leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with a glass of water, which he set on the nightstand. By then, Hyunjin had managed to calm down a little bit, but he still had tears streaming down his face.

“I know everything is really scary right now, but your friend and I aren’t going anywhere,” Changbin assured. He gently wiped the tears from Hyunjin’s cheeks, but it didn’t help much. “Just keep breathing and there’s some water whenever you want it.”

“They’re okay?” Hyunjin finally gasped out, “Seungmin and Innie? They’re alive?”

“Yes, they’re both alive,” Changbin confirmed, “they’re both okay and feeling a lot better. We can go see them later if you want.”

Hyunjin nodded with a whimper and finally sat up, reaching for the glass of water with shaky hands. He drank it slowly and wiped at his face with his hands.

Changbin continued to rub Hyunjin’s back soothingly. With his other hand, he pulled out his wand. “Aguamenti,” he whispered, refilling the glass for Hyunjin. “I know you miss your friends a lot and it’s so scary waking up and having them be gone. You’re so strong and supportive, Hyunjinnie, and I know you’re worried about your friends right now, but focus on yourself for a few minutes. When you’re feeling better we can figure out how to go see them.”

“I’m okay,” Hyunjin mumbled finally, “I promise, I’m fine now. Thank you.”

“Of course,” Changbin said. He snuck a look at the other Hufflepuff. “I’ll stay a few more minutes and then I’ll go see if I can talk to Jacob hyung.” He wasn’t ready to leave Hyunjin, but he wanted to get the boy to see his friends as soon as possible.

Hyunjin wiped at his face a few more times before he finally managed to stop crying. “Thanks, Binnie,” he said again, leaving heavily on the older boy.

Changbin wrapped his arms around Hyunjin again and held him close. “I’m glad you’re okay. I know everything is really hard right now, but it’s gonna get better soon,” he said. 

“Chan just said they were taking them to St. Mungo’s then ran out the door,” Hyunjin mumbled, “I got so scared.” He reached for Felix too, pulling him into their little huddle.

Changbin didn’t want to be the one to tell Hyunjin exactly what happened, but he was glad he could assure the boy that his friends were okay. “I can’t imagine how scary that must have been. For both of you,” he said, “but they’re doing a lot better and they should be able to come home soon.”

“I wasn’t even awake,” Felix said, “I just woke up when Jinnie started panicking. I didn’t even know what it was about until now.”

“That’s so scary,” Changbin said quietly, “but I talked to Jacob hyung quickly and I promise both of your friends are okay.” He felt so bad for the boys that they had to find out like this.

“Can we go find Jacob now?” Hyunjin asked, setting the glass on his nightstand, “I don’t wanna just sit here any longer.

“Sure, we can all go look for him now,” Changbin agreed. He stood up and helped Hyunjin to his feet and wrapped a protective arm around the boy.

“Hyunjinnie, we should get changed first,” Felix said, glancing down at his own duck-patterned pajamas. Hyunjin flushed, pulling away from Changbin. “Can you wait outside?” he asked the older boy.

“Oh, yeah, no problem,” Changbin said. He hadn’t realized the boys were still in pajamas. He let go of Hyunjin after he was sure the boy was stable and left the dormitory to wait outside of the main door. 

Hyunjin and Felix both got changed pretty quickly and were joining Changbin in the hallway soon after. As they headed toward the Slytherin dorms, Felix finally introduced himself to Changbin.

“It’s nice to officially meet you,” Changbin said, “Hyunjin’s told me a lot about you.” Luckily he knew the password to the Slytherin dorm and was able to let them all in. 

“Lixie’s cute, isn’t he?” Hyunjin said. He had brightened up considerably now that he knew his friends were actually okay and not nearly as injured as Chan had made them seem.

Changbin smiled softly, glad that Hyunjin was feeling better. “Yeah, he is,” he said politely, “it must be something about your group.” He ushered the boys into the dorm and knocked on Jacob’s door before letting them all in. 

Hyunjin gripped Felix’s hand nervously. He hoped that they would be able to go visit Jeongin and Seungmin. He didn’t know what he would do if they couldn’t.

Jacob looked up from his desk, a little surprised to see Changbin being trailed by two of Chan’s kids. “Hey, Binnie, what’s going on?” he asked. “We wanted to talk to you about going to see Innie and Seungmin,” Changbin replied. 

“We really want to see them,” Hyunjin added in a small voice. He was a little scared of Jacob, but he really needed to see his friends.

Jacob smiled softly. “They’ve been wanting to see you too,” he said, “unfortunately I can’t set up a Portkey for you to go, but the Headmaster told me he would help you guys whenever you were ready to go.”

Hyunjin whined. He didn’t want to have to talk to the Headmaster. He’d spent his entire school career trying to avoid Professor Park Sungjin and he wasn’t quite ready to shake that particular habit.

“I can still come with you if you want, but there’s certain limits as to what I can and can’t do. I’m sorry,” Jacob said, “I take it you all want to go now?” Changbin nodded. He missed Innie a lot and it was starting to sink in how serious everything that happened was. “Alright, let’s go,” Jacob said. He picked up his wand and let the boys out of his room and to the Headmaster’s office. 

Sungjin was expecting the boys in his office and already had everything ready for them. “It’ll drop you outside of the hospital,” he said, “you all need to be back by curfew tonight.”

“We will be,” Jacob promised. He ushered the boys around the Portkey and as soon as they all laid their hands on the old book they were on their way to the hospital. When they landed, Jacob tucked the book under his arm and led the boys into St. Mungo’s. “Try not to be too loud, there’s other people in the ward we don’t want to bother,” he said. 

Hyunjin clung tightly to Felix as they made their way through the hospital. When he saw Seungmin he all but tackled the younger boy to the bed with a loud cry. 

Seungmin winced when Hyunjin jumped on him. “Whoa, hi there, Jinnie,” he said. He hugged his best friend back tightly. He didn’t know when he was going to see his friends and he had missed them a lot. 

“I was so scared!” Hyunjin said, sitting up so he didn’t crush his best friend. 

Seungmin kept his tight grip on Hyunjin. “I was too,” he mumbled, “but everything’s okay now and Innie and I will be back to school in no time.” 

“What happened?” Hyunjin asked, sitting back on his heels, “Chan made it seem like you two were dead.”

Seungmin snuck a look at Jeongin. “Innie’s uncle was controlling Minho to help him try and get Innie back. He lured me into the woods and Innie came to rescue me, but he made Minho attack us when I tried to run away. He doesn’t remember anything from that whole time,” he said quietly. 

“That’s so scary,” Hyunjin said quietly, “I’m glad you two are okay. Is Minho okay?”

“He’s taking everything really hard,” Seungmin said, “his family has been spending a lot of time with him, but he hasn’t talked to anyone else that much.”

Hyunjin frowned and glanced down the ward to where Minho was sitting all alone. “That’s really sad,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Seungmin said sadly, “we talked to him yesterday and he kept apologizing. And from the way he was talking, Innie thinks he’s not coming back.”

“That’s really upsetting,” Hyunjin said quietly, “I hope he feels better soon. I can’t imagine how scared he must have been.”

Seungmin nodded. “He seems more scared of himself now than anything, but we’re gonna do the best we can to help him. He and Innie are really close so hopefully we can help him come around,” he said. Meanwhile, Changbin had backed away from the group to go and talk to Minho.

“Hyung?” Changbin asked quietly as he approached Minho. He didn’t want to scare the older boy at all. 

Minho looked up at Changbin when the younger boy approached his bed. He had heard them all come in, but he hadn’t expected anyone to come over. “Hi, Binnie,” he greeted quietly, “how’s Innie doing?”

“He’s doing okay,” Changbin said, carefully sitting on the end of the bad. “How are you doing?”

Minho relaxed a little. “I’m fine. Now that everything calmed down it’s really starting to sink in what happened. I’m so glad you didn’t get wrapped up in this too. I don’t know what I would have done,” he said. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Changbin said quietly, “when Jacob told me this morning, I was really worried. And I’m sure Innie’s been all over you now that you’re back.”

Minho shook his head. “He’s  _ terrified  _ of me now and I don’t blame him,” he said sadly, “when he and Seungmin came to talk to me, he was all but hiding. I hurt that poor kid so bad, Binnie. To be honest, it’s probably better if he stays away from me.”

“Jacob said Yang made you torture him,” Changbin said, “I can’t imagine how terrifying it is to watch one of your best friends turn on you like that. He’s been saying all year that you would never hurt him.”

Minho inhaled sharply and turned his head away so that Changbin wouldn’t notice the tears that were beginning to gather in the corners of his eyes. Jeongin had so much faith in him, trusted him completely, and he shattered that in a matter of one night. “You should stay away from me too,” he said shakily.

“You and I both know I’m not going to do that,” Changbin said firmly, “and neither is Jacob and neither is Innie. Any fear we might have for you is solidly outweighed by our happiness that we have you back again.”

“Changbin, please, you don’t understand,” Minho said, “I can’t watch you get hurt because of me again, especially Jeongin. I missed you a lot too, but you have to realize that things are never going to go back to the way they were.”

“And you don’t understand that we can’t watch you suffer on your own anymore,” Changbin said, “you can push us away all you want, but we aren’t going to listen this time. Too many people have gotten hurt this year from having no one to support them and I’m not letting that happen to you.”

Minho finally turned to look up at Changbin with teary eyes. “And what if I want to be left alone?” he asked quietly, “what if I want to be far away from everyone? I can’t be around people anymore, especially the ones I care about. I would never be able to live with myself if I hurt any of you again. Even this conversation is hard because I’m so  _ scared _ .”

“That’s why we’re going to help you,” Changbin said, “we don’t want you to be scared of us or of yourself or of anything. Short of Obliviating you, nothing fixes a fear quite like exposure does.”

Minho was too tired to argue anymore. Why couldn’t his friends see that it was better to let him go? “How do you still care?” he asked quietly, “you should hate me, despise me, yet you want to help instead. And I know everyone keeps saying this isn’t my fault, but I’ll always feel like it is.”

“Because you’re one of my best friends,” Changbin said, “besides, two on one, or three on one, or I think even seven one one now? I think we could handle it if something did happen.”

Minho’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Seven? Where are you getting seven from?” he asked. 

“Myself, Innie, Jacob, Chan, Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Felix,” Changbin listed off, counting on his fingers, “everyone’s really concerned about you, almost more than they’re concerned about Innie and Seungmin.”

“They’re worried about me  _ more  _ than Jeongin and Seungmin?” Minho asked incredulously, “no, no, no that can’t be right. I didn’t get hurt like they did. I’m not going to have to live with the memories of what happened like they did. I’m not going to have to go back to school and face everyone like they will. Unfortunately I can’t stop you from being worried, but you have to focus on Innie and Seungmin more.”

“Innie and Seungmin went through something physically traumatizing, yes, but no one took the level of physical and emotional abuse that you did,” Changbin said, “I don’t know if you’ve ever met a Hufflepuff, but they’re very concerned with people. You’re part of the group now, whether you like it or not.”

Minho sniffed and wiped his nose. He looked down the hallway to where all of the boys were piled on Seungmin’s bed. “I guess I can’t fight you, huh?” he asked rhetorically. He knew no one was going to let this go, but he would be going home for good soon and he wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.

“Once a Hufflepuff had adopted you, you can’t get away,” Changbin said knowledgeably, “you can try, but I don’t think you’ll be successful.”

Minho shook his head sadly. “When did you become an expert in Hufflepuffs?” he asked, turning back to look up at Changbin. 

“Hyunjin,” Changbin explained, “I defended him from Yugyeom once and opened myself to him as a resource and I haven’t been able to get rid of him since.”

Minho stiffened at the name. “He was one of the ones bullying Jeongin, wasn’t he? Him and that nasty Gryffindor although I haven’t seen him around at all,” he said, “I can’t believe you’re such good friends with him now.”

“Jisung,” Changbin provided, “yeah, they’re all kind of arguing right now. He got really upset when Seungmin and Innie started dating and Hyunjin stopped talking to him, then he and Felix had a fight and now they’re all a mess. But yeah, Yugyeom had been sexually harassing Hyunjin for a while and no one ever really tried to stop him. He did finally get expelled though. Some of the Gryffindor Quidditch players flipped on him.”

“That’s Gryffindors for you,” Minho said flatly, “but none of them are bothering Innie anymore right?”

“No, that’s all died down,” Changbin said, “most of it was from Yugyeom anyway. The culture’s really starting to change up there, thankfully.”

Minho nodded. “That’s good to hear. Innie deserves a break,” he said, “and that was really good of you to stand up to Yugyeom. I don’t think I would have even done that, especially for someone I didn’t know.”

“He reminds me of me a lot,” Changbin said quietly, “his mom is a veela, so it’s sort of similar. I haven’t told him about my mom yet though. I don’t really know how.”

Minho hummed. “You don’t have to tell him if you don’t want to,” he said, “and if you do, let it come up naturally. Wait for when he talks more about his family. Or if people ever start bothering you again, I’m sure he’d be the perfect person to confide in.”

“I just...I don’t know,” Changbin said, “on one hand, I feel bad keeping it from him because his heritage is so public and he’s really the only one that doesn’t know about mine, but on the other hand, I don’t want to change his opinion of me.”

“It’ll be a good way to find out if he really cares about you or if he’s just using you for comfort,” Minho said gently, “but that would be very hypocritical of him to judge you for being half wizard when he’s in the exact same boat.”

“You know it’s different though. He’s half wizard, but I’m full wizard with a deficiency of magic,” Changbin said, “it’s not the same.”

“Still, you’re in similar circumstances,” Minho said, “and he must have changed from the beginning of the year if he’s friends with Jeongin now, but don’t hide this from him just to keep him as a friend.”

“I don’t think I’m going to lose him,” Changbin said, “he’s probably the least judgmental person I’ve ever met. I’m just nervous.”

Minho smiled softly. “Oh, Binnie, it’s okay,” he said, “you tell him whenever you’re ready and I’m sure Jacob hyung could help you better with what to say.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Changbin said, before sitting up, “Innie said he thinks you’re leaving. Is that true?”

Minho paused. “Yeah, it’s true,” he responded, “I don’t want to go back in the fall so I’m gonna move home permanently and figure something else out over the summer.”

“We’re going to miss you,” Changbin said, “expect me to come visit you quite a few times over the summer.”

Minho was grateful that Changbin didn’t try to convince him to stay. “I’ll miss you too. And I’ll look forward to your visits,” he said, “keep an eye on Innie for me, will ya?”

“Of course,” Changbin said, “and we’ll all keep an eye on Chaeryeong. You have to do the same for Cobi though.”

“Thank you. I’m positive she’s gonna end up in Ravenclaw so I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot of her,” Minho said, “and I’m sure Chan’ll keep an eye on Jacob hyung just fine.”

“I’ll keep her right under my wing then,” Changbin said, “and yeah, Chan’ll keep an eye on Cobi, but I can’t trust him to send me updates like you can.”

Minho smiled, glad that his sister was going to be in good hands for the first couple years until she got herself on her own feet. “I’ll do my best, but I’m not gonna promise anything. I’m not sure how much I’ll see them,” he said.

“Nuh uh,” Changbin said, “I need a promise. I need to know that you’re not just gonna isolate yourself and abandon us when you’re home.”

“I can’t promise that, Changbin,” Minho said sadly, “and I’m not abandoning you. You have plenty of new friends to focus on and I’ll have my family.”

“They can’t replace you, hyung,” Changbin said quietly, “I need to know that you’re still gonna be out there somewhere.”

“I’m gonna be okay,” Minho promised, “and I’ll be writing Chae letters all next year so I can talk to you that way too.”

“You’d better,” Changbin said, “I’ll hunt you down if you don’t, if Innie doesn’t first.”

Minho rolled his eyes. “Alright, Binnie, whatever you say,” he said, “you should probably get back over there. I’m sure Innie wants to see you.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Changbin said, “I’ll make sure I come back over before we leave, okay?”

“I’ll be here,” Minho said. He watched Changbin walk across the ward back over to Seungmin’s bed before curling himself into a ball and laying down. He kept his back towards the group and tried to block out their chattering. 

“How’s hyung?” Jeongin asked when Changbin came back over. “He’s okay,” Changbin said, “upset, but I think he’s doing better than he has been.”

“Did he say anything else?” Seungmin asked curiously. He hoped Minho opened up a little bit more to Changbin considering how good of friends they are. 

“He’s not coming back next year,” Changbin said with a sigh, “he’s really scared of not being able to control his magic anymore.”

Seungmin reached over and held Jeongin’s hand tightly. “What’s gonna happen now?” he asked hesitantly. 

“I don’t know,” Changbin replied, “I really don’t want to see him start to isolate himself again, so I hope Jacob and Chan will be able to keep an eye on him once they’re done at Hogwarts.”

Seungmin nodded. “I’m really sorry. I know how much you guys missed him,” he said. 

“It’s going to be rough, but I think it’ll be better for this than trying to force him to go back and be miserable. Until he recovers, his magic isn’t going to be stable enough. If he doesn’t feel good about it, it’ll just be worse,” Changbin said, “I’ll miss him, but I just want what’s best for him.”

“You’re a really good friend. And he definitely needs someone who’s gonna support him right now,” Seungmin said. He glanced down toward the end of the ward and saw Minho curled up into a ball. 

“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do without him,” Jeongin said, “I’ve always depended on him so much and this year was so hard. I can’t handle another one.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Seungmin promised, “we’ll talk to him before we go home and we’ll make sure you have a way to stay in touch.”

“I just miss him,” Jeongin said miserably, “I don’t want to not be around him anymore.”

Seungmin felt horrible. He wished there was more he could do, but there was no way they could change Minho’s mind. “Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise,” he said. 

“I’m gonna talk to him again tonight,” Jeongin decided, “or maybe just sit with him a bit once his mum leaves. Whatever he wants.” Despite his fear, he was determined to show his friend how much he cared.

Seungmin smiled softly. “I think that would be really good for him,” he said, “and you too. You deserve some time with him now that everything’s calm and he’s back.”

A few days later, Seungmin and Jeongin were back at the castle and attending classes again. News of what had happened had clearly spread very quickly, but no one seemed to be doing anything but sympathizing with them both. 

Jisung was fuming when he heard about what happened. He had tried to warn Seungmin that he was going to get hurt and he had. The minute he found the Hufflepuff he rushed over to make sure he was okay for himself. 

Jeongin and Seungmin were sitting at the Hufflepuff table, surrounded by their friends. Jeongin looked up when he heard someone calling Seungmin’s name and quickly scooted away from his boyfriend when he saw that it was Jisung approaching. 

“Seungmin, are you okay?” Jisung asked worriedly. He practically pulled the boy to stand up and give him a once over. “Relax, Jisung, I’m fine,” Seungmin replied, letting the boy fuss over him. 

Hyunjin threw an arm around Jeongin’s shoulders, letting the younger boy rest against his side while they all waited tensely for Jisung to move on.

“I told you you were gonna get hurt, Minnie,” Jisung said, “do you know how worried I was? He’s dangerous and you can’t trust him.” Seungmin shook Jisung’s hands from his shoulder and took a step back. He glared up at the Gryffindor, not quite believing what he was hearing. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Innie was the one who protected me from his uncle. It’s not his fault this happened and if anything, he’s the reason I’m still alive.”

Jeongin shrunk back, trying to keep himself hidden between Hyunjin and Seungmin. He was a little nervous that Jisung was going to punch him or something. 

“Seungmin you almost died! You have to realize that if you weren’t with him this would have never happened,” Jisung said. Seungmin crossed his arms. “Maybe it wouldn’t have, but I wouldn’t change anything that happened for the world,” he said. Jisung shook his head. “You’re really gonna get yourself killed and I can’t watch that happen,” he said. 

Jeongin took a deep breath then stood up. “I forgot one of my books in my dorm,” he said quietly, “I’ll see you after classes, alright?” He kissed Seungmin’s cheek before hurriedly leaving the Great Hall.

“I promised to trust you and I was really trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but this fucking does it,” Jisung said angrily, “you have a really big decision to make and you better choose carefully.” With that he turned on his heel and stalked away.

Jeongin hadn’t actually left a book behind; he just couldn’t watch Jisung berating Seungmin anymore. Maybe he should have stayed and defended his boyfriend, but he didn’t want to draw any attention to himself either. Breathing heavily, he loitered outside of his Charms classroom.

Jisung didn’t have to look far to find Jeongin. He drew his wand and walked over to the boy. “You have a lot of nerve staying around him,” he growled, “the last thing I’m going to do is sit back and watch when one of my friends is in danger so you better think carefully about ever going near him again.”

Jeongin tried to hold himself straight and tall as Jisung approached him and started threatening him. “I don’t know what you want me to do,” he said bravely, “I date him, I hurt him. I break up with him, I hurt him. Pick one, Jisung.”

“He can get over you just fine, but he can’t come back from the dead,” Jisung snapped, “I should have never let you near him from the start.”

“I didn’t go near him, he came near me,” Jeongin said, “I wanted nothing to do with him in the beginning.”

“Why don’t we go back to that then? I think it’d be better for everyone,” Jisung said. He didn’t care if Seungmin would be mad at him for this, it was for his friend’s safety. 

“I can’t do that to him,” Jeongin said, “I love him and he loves me and I’m not going to hurt him like that just because you don’t like me.”

Jisung snorted. “You love him? What do you know about love? You’re thirteen for fucks sake. And I don’t like you because you almost got one of my friends killed. And if something like this ever happens again I won’t hesitate to kill you myself,” he spat. 

“You don’t like me because of some bullshit fed to you by the same person that sexually harassed one of your best friends for  _ four years _ ,” Jeongin argued back, “I don’t think you’re the person that gets to make the moral judgment here.”

“I stood up to him and all it got me was a shattered knee and a ticket off the team for the rest of my time here,” Jisung shouted, “don’t start with this bullshit when you and your fucking family almost got Seungmin killed!”

“My family almost got me and Minho killed too, in case you’ve forgotten,” Jeongin said, “or do our lives not matter as much as Seungmin’s?”

“Minho hates me so why should I feel any different about him?” Jisung asked rhetorically, “and no, not in my book they don’t. You’re a fucking snake and that’s all you’ll ever be.”

“Minho doesn’t hate you, he was Imperiused before he even attacked you,” Jeongin retorted, “he doesn’t even know who you are. Why can’t you get it through your head that I’m  _ not  _ my family?”

“Bad things follow you wherever you go and I don’t want that around my friends anymore. Maybe you’re not like your family, but they still hurt Seungmin and I won’t let that happen again,” Jisung said. 

“What are you going to do about it?” Jeongin challenged.

Jisung raised his wand higher. “I’ll personally make sure you never see Seungmin again,” he said.

“You really think that’s going to make Seungmin be your friend again?” Jeongin asked, “you think that’s going to make him suddenly see the light?”

“It’s going to save his life and that’s all I’m worried about right now. He’ll thank me later,” Jisung said. 

“ _ I _ saved his life,” Jeongin said, “not you, not Chan,  _ me _ . He’ll tell you the same thing.”

“Oh really? ‘Cause last I heard the Head Boy had to come and save both of you. Don’t try and act like a hero when you aren’t,” Jisung said. 

“Seungmin would’ve died before Jacob even got there if I hadn’t been there and in the way,” Jeongin said, “so really, if you’re going to curse me, go for it. The only one who suffers here will be you.”

“ _ Petrificus Totalus _ ,” Jisung muttered. He watched as the boy stiffened and fell backwards onto the ground. He was about to hex the boy so the spell didn’t wear off as quickly when a bell rang out through the hallway. “This is just a taste of what you’ll get if you go near Seungmin again,” he said simply, “you’re not good for him. You’ll  _ never  _ be good for him. Just let him go now and save him from ever having to go through something like this again. And I’m warning you now, Jeongin, you’ll have hell to pay if you ever lay another finger on him.” He gave Jeongin one last look before disappearing down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat with either of us!
> 
> Ash:  
> @sunnyuto_ on Twitter  
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